Littlecloud's Wish
by Momo Aathara
Summary: Super Edition of Littlecloud's life from when he was a kit to his death. Major Cinderpelt and Littlecloud shipping, so if you don't like that pairing you might not enjoy, but if you love the pairing as much as I do than I hope you'll like it!
1. Allegiances

**Shadowclan**

**Leader:** Raggedstar-large dark brown tabby tom

**Deputy:** Brokentail-long-haired dark brown tabby tom

**Medicine Cat:** Yellowfang-old dark gray she-cat

-Runningnose

**Warriors:** Brackenfoot-pale ginger tom with dark ginger legs

Mousewing: thick-furred black tom

Amberleaf-dark orange she-cat with brown legs

Brightflower-orange tabby she-cat

Frogtail-dark gray tom

Scorchwind-ginger tabby tom

Nutwhisker-brown tom

Rowanberry-cream and brown she-cat

Wolfstep-gray and white tom

Boulder-silver tabby tom

Russetfur-dark ginger she-cat

Flintfang-gray tom

Blackfoot-large white tom with huge, jet-black paws

Fernshade-tortoiseshell she-cat

Clawface-battle-scarred brown tom

Deerfoot-brown and white tom

Tangleburr-brown she-cat with green eyes

Cinderfur-thin gray tom

Stumpytail-brown tabby tom

**Apprentices:** Runningnose-small gray and white tom

**Queens:** Featherstorm-dark brown tabby she-cat (Dawnkit, Volekit, Mosskit)

Newtspeck-black and ginger she-cat (Littlekit, Brownkit, Wetkit)

**Elders:** Hollyflower-dark gray and white she-cat

Archeye-gray tabby tom with black stripes

Poolcloud-gray and white she-cat

Littlebird-small ginger tabby she-cat

Nightpelt-black tom

Ashfur-gray tom

**Thunderclan**

**Leader:** Bluestar-blue-gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Deputy:** Redtail-small tortoiseshell tom with a dark ginger tail

**Medicine Cat:** Featherwhisker-pale silver tom

**Warriors:** Lionheart-golden tabby tom

Tigerclaw-big dark brown tabby tom

Whitestorm-big white tom

Darkstripe-sleek black and gray tabby tom

-Longpaw

Willowpelt-very pale gray she-cat with unusual blue eyes

Runningwind-swift tabby tom

Mousefur-small dusty brown she-cat

**Apprentices:** Longpaw-pale tabby tom with dark black stripes

**Queens:** Frostfur-beautiful white she-cat with blue eyes

Goldenflower-pale ginger she-cat

**Windclan**

**Leader:** Tallstar-black and white tom with a very long tail

-Onepaw

**Deputy:** Deadfoot-black tom with a twisted paw

**Medicine Cat:** Hawkheart-dark brown tom with yellow eyes

-Barkpaw

**Warriors:** Mudclaw-a mottled dark brown tom

Tornear-a tabby tom

Ashfoot-a gray she-cat

**Apprentices: **Barkpaw-short tailed brown tom

Onepaw-a brown tabby tom

**Queens:** Morningflower-a tortoiseshell queen

**Riverclan**

**Leader:** Crookedstar-huge brown tabby with a twisted jaw

**Deputy: **Timberfur-brown tom

**Medicine Cat:** Brambleberry-pretty white she-cat with black spots

-Mudfur

**Warriors:** Blackclaw-smoky black tom

Stonefur- a gray tom with battle-scared ears

-Shadepaw

Mistyfoot- a blue-gray she-cat

Loudbelly-a dark brown tom

-Heavypaw

Leopardfur-unusually spotted golden she-cat

-Silverpaw

Oakheart-brown tabby tom

Whiteclaw-white tom

**Apprentices:** Mudfur-long haired light brown tom

Silverpaw-silver tabby she-cat

Heavypaw-thickset tabby tom

Shadepaw-very dark gray she-cat

**Cats outside of Clans**

Barley-black and white tom

Rusty-flame-colored tom

…


	2. Prologue

Littlecloud felt his chest heave with the effort of breathing, and he struggled across the den to grab a coltsfoot leaf out of his stores, but he couldn't reach one without standing, which had become impossible as soon as he had woken up. He collapsed back into his nest, his breathing even more difficult than before.

His sickness had come out of nowhere in the middle of the night, and he had been trying to alert his clanmates, but he couldn't manage to get any sound out, let alone a cry loud enough to rose anyone.

"What's going on? Who's there?" Dawnpelt's surprised meow rang out from the entrance to the camp, but it wasn't loud enough to wake anyone up. She had been the one Littlecloud had been trying to get the attention of; she, as tonight's guard, was the only one awake, but she had been so focused on her task that she hadn't even glanced towards his den once.

And now the clan was being invaded? He couldn't leave the clan now; he didn't even have an apprentice! There was a kit in the nursery who was planning on it, but she wouldn't be old enough for another moon, and by then there would be no one left to teach her; he was sure of that now. There was no cure for this kind of illness and no one to cure him even if there was.

He blinked, refocusing on what was happening now. What was going on at the entrance to the camp? Why hadn't Dawnpelt called a warning to the clan? What was happening?

"What?"

He could just make out Dawnpelt's voice over the mesh of other voices. Paws scampered towards his den, and the cream-colored she-cat appeared in the entrance, her eyes wide and concerned. "Littlecloud!" she squeaked, rushing over to her medicine cat to try to figure out what was wrong.

Eyes appeared at the edge of the den, six pairs to be exact. They all blinked at him, their eyes brimming with concern, but they didn't dare enter until Dawnpelt gave them permission.

Littlecloud tried to get something out, but the words stuck in his throat along with most of his air supply.

Dawnpelt whipped around desperately. "Can you help him?"

"Of course," one of the pairs of eyes replied shortly. "That's why we came."

Jayfeather stepped into the den, shouldering past Dawnpelt and forcing her out, and quickly went to work sniffing around for herbs that could help the struggling tom. Mothwing and Willowshine came in next; they carried bundles of moss that they tucked under the Shadowclan medicine cat to make him more comfortable. Kestrelflight assessed his condition and suggested herbs that Jayfeather might not know that could be useful.

Leafpool was last; she talked to him in an attempt to distract him from everything that he was thinking and feeling with the stories of how each of them had received a message from Starclan about what was happening to him, but even though her voice was comforting he couldn't focus on it. His eyes could only seem to look at the familiar pair of blue eyes that belonged to the cat who had not yet entered the den.

He knew those eyes. He had known them for as long as his life had held any meaning. He had seen them full of happiness, full of sadness, full of envy, full of intelligence, and full of compassion, but never full of love, no matter how much he tried to imagine it. Her love was never directed at him, not in the way he wanted it to be, no matter how much his was directed at her, but now they held something different from anything he had seen in them before. They were filled to the brim with realization, and pain, and _love_.

"Here," Jayfeather ordered, placing the coltsfoot leaves in front of him. Littlecloud ate them quickly, feeling his throat loosen slightly as they went down, but he didn't let his eyes move away from the she-cat's for a second.

"Cinder-," he choked out as soon as his throat was loose enough, making the she-cat jump. The effort caused him to fall into a violent series of coughs that burned his already tender lungs.

Leafpool glanced back and forth between the two cats, making the connection that no one else had, and no one else could.

"Cinder-, please," he begged, even though it ravaged his lungs to say anything.

"Stay quiet, Littlecloud," Jayfeather ordered, his attention still focused on the herb stores.

Leafpool motioned for the she-cat to come in, but she hesitated right at the edge, and couldn't bring herself to enter.

"Cinderheart," she prompted, smiling kindly at her.

The gray tabby she-cat stepped slowly into the den; her eyes were wide and frightened, but under that Littlecloud could still see the love in them, her love, for _him_.

Those were Cinderpelt's eyes that were staring back at him; it was her eyes that held the realization of the love she held for him. Had she always felt that way, and only realized it now, or had it come over time, and only just come to life now that he was dying?

Why? Why hadn't she realized it sooner? He had always felt that way about her, and only now did she return his affections, now that he was dying and she was a completely different cat.

That part hurt him the most; that she wouldn't be waiting for him in Starclan like he had imagined she would. She would come to Starclan with Lionblaze, and she would be with him there. Perhaps she would cast him a sad, regretful glance now and then, but that would be it. They would never be anything. That fact alone was worse than death.

"What's going on? Where's Littlecloud?" Blackstar's sharp voice echoed around the den, causing most of the cats inside to jump and shuffle quickly out of the way. The Shadowclan leader took a step back in shock as he stared at his broken medicine cat. He shifted his eyes to the other medicine cats. "Can you heal him?" he demanded, his eyes flashing.

"T-There's not much we can do," Kestrelflight answered after a moment of hesitation, casting a regretful look at Littlecloud.

Blackstar's eyes narrowed. "Then you need to try harder!" he growled.

"With all due respect, Blackstar," Jayfeather cut in coolly. "It's his time. We only came to make his journey more comfortable." The tom's sightless blue eyes dug into the Shadowclan leader's, and his glare softened slightly.

"It can't be his time," Blackstar argued with less fire than usual. "There is no apprentice ready to fill the hole he will leave behind. Who will train Robinkit when she comes of age?" The question was directed at Littlecloud, but he had no way of answering his leader.

His gaze flicked around to the other medicine cats, begging them for help, and when he got to Cinderheart he stopped, focusing on only her eyes again, for that was what truly calmed him.

Leafpool was the first to nod her agreement, and she turned to look at Blackstar seriously.

"I will," she answered firmly, locking eyes with the Shadowclan leader.

"You?" he spat scornfully. "You're not even a medicine cat anymore."

"No," she conceded. "But I was, and I trained Jayfeather so he could become Thunderclan's medicine cat, so I have taught before. And I have the time to help _because_ I'm not a medicine cat anymore." She wasn't begging, but she did sound a little desperate; she wanted so badly to feel useful again.

Blackstar still looked unsure, so he turned to Littlecloud for confirmation. "Is this what you want?" he asked, searching the medicine cat's eyes for any sign of protest.

Leafpool turned to look at him as well, her eyes pleading and sad even though she tried to hide it.

He nodded, and Leafpool's expression lit up, before she quickly hid it again. Littlecloud smiled. At least he was able to make one cat happy even if he couldn't be happy himself. _Thank you._ He thought as his eyes started to fall closed.

He flicked his gaze over to Cinderheart; he wanted her eyes to be the last thing he saw.

"Littlecloud!" she cried, he eyes wide and terrified.

_I'm sorry._ He thought sadly. _I never wanted you to see me die._

"Littlecloud, no," she mewed softly, her voice cracking.

"Come with me."

He didn't realize that he had spoken until everything had fallen away from his vision.

"I'll be there," Cinderheart breathed.

He knew she was lying; he knew that she wouldn't be waiting for him like he had always wanted, but still, her words comforted him. They echoed around his head as he faded away, and by the time he had passed on he had almost convinced himself that Cinderpelt would be waiting for him. He was almost convinced that they would be together in Starclan, just like he had wanted since the first time he saw her.

…


	3. Chapter 1

The first distinct thing that Littlekit could remember from his life was not a very happy memory. Raggedstar, their leader for as long as he was alive, but not much longer, was dead and the clan was mourning him. He remembered being shocked and confused by the whole ordeal; he saw cats injured all the time, but never in the way Raggedstar had been that night.

Most of the senior warriors sat vigil for him, and he remembered Volekit asking Featherstorm if they were going to sit vigil for him as well, but the anguished queen told him that kits don't sit vigil, and herded him and his siblings into the nursery, casting a long, pained look back at her dead son before following her kits into the den.

Littlekit watched Brokentail grieve for his lost father for only a moment before Newtspeck ordered him and his siblings into the nursery as well, and it wasn't long before he fell asleep, convinced that what was going on in the center of camp was all in his imagination, and that everything would be back to normal in the morning.

…

When Littlekit finally did wake up the first thing he did was look out into the clearing to see if Raggedstar was really there, and, to his delight, there was no sign that their leader had spent the night dead in the center of camp. His clan mates seemed to be going about their normal routines, if not a bit slower than usual. Scorchwind, Blackfoot, Tangleburr, and Cinderfur were huddled in a group in one corner of camp talking about Windclan or something urgently, but this didn't worry Littlekit. Only when the queens woke up and began talking in low voices about what had happened the previous day did Littlekit realize that he had be completely and entirely wrong.

"I guess the elders have already buried him," Featherstorm meowed regretfully, staring out into the place where her son had been the night before. "I wish I could have sat vigil for him."

"I'm sure Raggedstar understands," Newtspeck replied kindly. "He wouldn't have wanted you to exhaust yourself, especially with your kits to worry about."

"But," she whimpered, drawing her tail around her. "He was my kit too."

Newtspeck rested her tail on the anguished queen's shoulder lightly. "I know, but he will watch over you and your kits from Starclan, and he'll stay with you forever."

"Thank you."

Featherstorm's kits were all looking and her sadly, obviously understanding her pain, at least to some extent. Littlekit glanced over at his own siblings who just seemed confused by the pain in Featherstorm's eyes. They whispered to each other softly, casting glances over at the queens not so discreetly until one of them, Brownkit, finally mustered up the nerve to ask the question the two of them had been discussing.

"Is Brokentail our leader now?" he asked curiously, drawing the attention of the two queens.

"Yes," Newtspeck answered when Featherstorm flinched and turned away. "He's just gone to receive his nine lives, so he won't be back until around moonrise. Until then, you all need to stay out of everyone's fur, okay? The clan is still grieving and the last thing they need is for you to bother them, alright?"

The kits nodded solemnly, huddling in the back of the nursery with wide eyes and nervous expressions. Brownkit and Wetkit batted a ball of moss around in an attempt at entertainment, but it lacked the usual energy of the game.

"This is boring," Mosskit complained, stretching out in front of the other kits and feigning a large yawn. "I wish we were apprentices."

The kits nodded their agreement, and Littlekit followed their lead enthusiastically. All he could think about was getting a mentor and becoming a strong, brave warrior for Raggedstar.

The thought snapped him back to reality, and he glanced back over at Featherstorm.

She was sitting at the edge of the den with her head bowed and her eyes staring at nothing. Newtspeck had her tail wrapped around the grieving queen in a small attempt at comfort, and was cleaning her fur gently.

Littlekit couldn't focus on the game for the rest of the day.

…

It was almost pitch black by the time Yellowfang and the newly named Brokenstar returned to camp. The clan was mostly all awake even though it was late because they all wanted to be the first to greet their new leader and see the new deputy. Only Mosskit, Volekit, and Dawnkit had fallen asleep after they exhausted themselves with a battle game that Littlekit didn't participate in.

The first thing Brokenstar did when he returned to camp was leap up onto the Clanrock and summon the clan. "Let all cats join here beneath the Clanrock for a clan meeting!"

Littlekit followed Newtspeck and his siblings out of the nursery, ecstatic that the new leader had left off the words "old enough to catch their own prey." Maybe he had forgotten, but maybe, just maybe, the kits were actually welcome at this meeting.

His thoughts were confirmed when Brokenstar cast Featherstorm a disapproving glance. "Where are your kits?" he demanded forcefully. "Fetch them at once!"

"But they've just gone to sleep!" Featherstorm protested. "And it's very cold out here. Besides, they're not old enough to catch their own prey and usually-."

"Are they part of Shadowclan?" Brokenstar growled, cutting her off. "Then get them!"

Featherstorm glared at the large tom, but she couldn't hold his gaze, so she retrieved her kits like he wanted. He gave her a small nod then turned his attention back to the clan as a whole.

"I will not rest until Windclan has been punished, and until Shadowclan is feared by every cat in the forest," he announced loudly. "They will bow down before us! From now on warriors will only fight and train for battle. Hunting is of little importance, and cats will have to find food where they can."

The clan was struck silent with shock, and they exchanged uncertain glances.

"Meanwhile," Brokenstar continued, seemingly unaware of the hesitation in the clan, "it is time for me to choose a deputy. I say these words before the spirits of my ancestors, that they may hear and approve my choice. Blackfoot will be the next deputy of Shadowclan."

The large, white tom rose from his position amongst his clanmates and padded over to his leader, his eyes shining with pride. "Brokenstar, your choice honors me," he meowed. "I'll do my best to serve you and our clan well."

The clan relaxed slightly because of Blackfoot's popularity, but many cats were still on edge about some of the new leader's changes.

"Now," Brokenstar went on. "I need an apprentice."

Littlekit tensed; the oldest kits were only three moons old, so who was he going to call up?

"Mosskit, step forward."

_Mosskit!_ Littlekit couldn't help thinking. _Why him? Why not me?_

"Wait!" Yellowfang called. "He's not old enough."

"Quiet!" Brokenstar hissed. "I am the leader and this is my decision."

So Mosskit was made Brokenstar's apprentice while Volekit and Dawnkit complained, and that was all they talked about all night.

The nursery felt strangely empty without Mosspaw, which made it difficult to sleep comfortably, and Volekit and Dawnkit's angry whispering wasn't helping.

Eventually Featherstorm silenced them with a sharp hiss and Littlekit was able to drift off to sleep.

…


	4. Chapter 2

In less than a moon, the nursery was crowded again with Fernshade and her son, Badgerkit, moving in that morning. Brokenstar had taken the kits out to battle training with Mosspaw around sunrise to give Fernshade some peace, but Brownkit had wrenched his shoulder trying out a difficult move, and had to go to Yellowfang for treatment afterwards. He was still limping when Brokenstar called the clan to a meeting.

He had called the meeting at sunhigh, but he hadn't made any of the other kits apprentices like they had hoped. Instead, he had asked all of the elders to leave the camp and fend for themselves.

Littlekit didn't know how he was supposed to react to Brokenstar's demand. Some of the clan seemed horrified by his suggestion, the elders included, but others seemed to agree with the leader.

Eventually he decided that he didn't want them to go, but by then they had already agreed to leave and Brokenstar had ordered the kits to follow him to the training hollow again.

Littlekit and Dawnkit were supposed to take turns practicing a twisting battle move against Volekit that required the use of the back claws, and Littlekit just couldn't seem to get it right. Also, Brownkit and Wetkit were practicing a double-strike move on Mosspaw that they were still getting the hang of.

Every so often Brokenstar would call out orders or tips to improve the moves, and Littlekit would try his best to follow his instructions.

"No, Littlekit! Use your hind paws!" he ordered before shouting more instructions at the other group of kits.

Littlekit crouched down, ready to try the move again, but he stopped when he heard Wetkit and Brownkit's simultaneous squeals from the other side of the clearing.

Mosskit was lying on the ground with his head twisted at an odd angle, and he wasn't moving.

"We were trying that double-attack thing, like you said," Brownkit squeaked. "Did we do it right?"

Suddenly Yellowfang was there, sniffing at Mosspaw with cold horror in her eyes. "Go straight back to camp," she hissed. "Go on, all of you!"

Littlekit glanced at his siblings in confusion, but they looked just as lost and scared as he did. After a moment of hesitation, they all scampered away.

"I guess Mosspaw must be hurt real bad!" Volekit exclaimed as they rushed out of the clearing.

Brownkit and Wetkit nodded solemnly, but they didn't look too sure.

_They didn't mean to hurt him._ Littlekit thought wildly as he raced through the trees. _They would never try to hurt Mosspaw, so why? Why is he so hurt? He shouldn't be hurt; they didn't do anything wrong!_

The kits stopped when they got to the nursery, their chests heaving as if they had run across the whole territory instead of just from the training hollow.

"What in the name of Starclan has gotten into you?" Newtspeck demanded. She had come out of the nursery after she had heard the tiny scampering of paws run into the camp.

The kits exchanged glances, but no one dared to speak first.

"Well?" she demanded.

Volekit finally opened his mouth, volunteering to speak for the rest of them, but he stopped when Yellowfang stepped into the camp, carrying a limp Mosspaw in her jaws. She took him straight to her den, and seconds later Runningnose emerged and headed straight towards the nursery.

Wetkit and Brownkit shrunk down as he approached, and Newtspeck wrapped her tail around them even though she had no idea _why_ they were so distressed.

"Where's Featherstorm?" Runningnose asked softly, his eyes brimming with sadness.

Newtspeck blinked at him and nodded towards the den, her head tilted in confusion.

Runningnose nodded his thanks and brushed past her into the nursery. Moments later he returned with Featherstorm and they both headed straight to the medicine cat's den.

The kits watched them go with wide eyes, and they huddled closer together when a cry of anguish rang out from the den.

"No," Newtspeck breathed. She crossed the clearing in three bounds and looked into the medicine cat's den. Whatever she saw in there caused her to recoil in sadness and pity, and she returned to the kits instantly.

"What happened? Is Mosspaw okay?" Dawnkit asked desperately, but Newtspeck didn't answer. She didn't have to answer because within the next minuet Brokenstar had called a clan meeting and announced that Mosspaw had died.

Brownkit and Wetkit shrieked and murmurs of disbelief radiated around the other members of the clan. Littlekit shrunk further to the forest floor; his littermates had killed Mosspaw. It had been an accident, but they had still killed him.

"It was just an accident," Brokenstar assured them. "You kits were all very brave. To reward you, I'm going to make you all apprentices."

The kits shrieks turned to excited squeals, and Littlekit joined them halfheartedly, but he shook his doubts away. Mosspaw was in Starclan now; he was a warrior, and he was happy. He would have wanted the other kits to train in his place.

"Volepaw, you will be my apprentice," Brokenstar ordered briskly. "Clawface, I know I promised him to you, but you can have Littlepaw instead. I owe it to Mosspaw to train his brother in his place."

Littlepaw gazed proudly around the clan. He was an apprentice now; he was just moons away from becoming a warrior like he always wanted. Words could not describe his excitement.

"Blackfoot, you take Dawnpaw. Boulder, you will have Wetpaw, and Stumpytail will have Brownpaw."

The crowd of cats moved out of the way and Littlepaw scampered over to Clawface and touched his nose to his new mentor's. Clawface wasn't his favorite cat in the clan, but he didn't care. He was ready to start his warrior training.

"I am proud of my clan," Brokenstar declared. "We have five new apprentices! Victory will be ours in every battle!" He glanced around. "Where's Featherstorm?"

"In my den," Yellowfang answered curtly. Was she mad at Brokenstar?

"Fetch her."

But, Yellowfang didn't get the chance because at that moment Featherstorm emerged from the den, looking as if she had just been hit by a two-leg monster.

"Shadowclan owes you a great debt for mothering so many warriors," Brokenstar told her. "I think it would be best if you join the elders now, where you can rest and be proud."

For a moment the queen didn't move as if she hadn't understood what Brokenstar had said, but eventually she nodded at the leader and stumbled out of the camp without saying a word, her eyes expressionless.

"There's another cat gone." Littlepaw overheard Rowanberry talking to his new mentor and her mate. "What is Brokenstar thinking?"

"Starclan knows," he responded with a twitch of his whiskers. "If he's not careful, there'll be more of us out there than in camp."

Littlepaw processed the new information slowly. They didn't agree with what their leader was doing? Why? Brokenstar was just trying to make the clan strong; was that so bad?

"Just watch what you say!" Tangleburr hissed beside him. "Don't go asking for trouble. Brokenstar hears everything!"

The cats began to break apart, and Clawface prodded Littlepaw up and they followed the other newly named apprentices out of camp so they could see the clan's boundaries.

Littlepaw was almost bouncing with excitement; his apprenticeship had truly begun.

...


	5. Chapter 3

Littlepaw stared up at the Great Rock with a mixture of exhilaration and anxiety. This was the first Gathering that he, Brownpaw, and Wetpaw had been able to go to, and he was trying to take everything in.

The leaders looked so noble sitting on top of the Great Rock, addressing the clans with just the right touches of diplomacy and hostility. Bluestar, of Thunderclan; Crookedstar, of Riverclan; and Tallstar, of Windclan, all shared a certain kind of nobility and care for their clanmates that Littlepaw had never noticed in Brokenstar. Maybe it was there, but he just didn't see it because it was hidden under his leader's drive to make Shadowclan stronger.

Littlepaw wasn't really listening to what the leaders were saying at the gathering, but he picked up a sharpness and briskness in the way they addressed Brokenstar, like he was an angry badger that no one wanted to be around for too long. The way the cats from other clans were looking at him was unsettling too. He was nearly five moons old, but he looked a lot younger then he was, and five moons old was still supposed to be too young for apprentices.

The warriors weren't the only ones casting him odd glances; the medicine cats, Yellowfang excluded, seemed to be talking about him as well, and he was starting to feel crushed by all of the judgmental glares that were being thrown at him. His breathing grew more rapid, and he scooted closer to Newtspeck in an attempt to shield himself from all of the judgment.

He didn't think he would be able to take it much longer, but before it became overwhelming the meeting was over and Brokenstar had taken the lead, bringing the cats back home.

The new apprentice, Badgerpaw, walked beside the leader, nearly jumping up and down with excitement. He dashed over to Flintfang, his mentor, and hopped around him with pure excitement and glee.

Littlepaw watched him with a cheerful expression. He could never replace Volepaw, who had died half a moon ago of an infected rat bite, but it was nice to have another apprentice around who was about his size since Dawncloud had gotten her warrior name and moved into the warriors den a few sunrises after Volepaw's death.

She still hung around the apprentice den sometimes, but she had a lot of warrior duties to take care of, plus, as she told Littlepaw in private, she spent most of her spare time catching prey for her mother and the other elders. She said that she felt like she owed them for all of the work they had put into the clan before her, and Littlepaw had promised her that once he was a warrior he would help her.

She had smiled at that, her blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight. They reminded him of the pair of blue eyes that had invaded his dreams every night. He couldn't tell who they belonged to, but he could hear a she-cat laughing blissfully, and the dreams always brought him peace at night.

…

The battle against Windclan over the stolen prey had been vicious. The Windclan cats had shot down Brokenstar's accusations with such firmness, shock, and hostility that Littlepaw almost believed them, almost.

Shadowclan made them pay for stealing their prey. Littlepaw didn't see how far away they ran, but he suspected that they would steer clear of the Shadowclan border from now on.

Littlepaw felt a sense of exhilaration after the battle was over. Sure there were some close calls where one of his clanmates had to help him, but he was still fighting, he was still helping Shadowclan be the best it could be.

Of course, it was always a bitter-sweet victory in battles like the one against Windclan. One or two cats were usually lost, and Littlepaw couldn't help fearing that this battle it would be Wetpaw or Brownpaw, but once he got back to camp he found out that they both were alright; it was Badgerpaw who had died this time.

He hadn't believed it at first, but Yellowfang had confirmed it when he asked her. His first instinct was to be upset, but Badgerpaw or, he guessed, Badgerfang now, was in Starclan watching over them now, and he wouldn't have wanted Littlepaw to be upset over his death. After all, he was a warrior now!

He had told Yellowfang that Badgerfang was a true Shadowclan warrior now, and that he hoped that he would watch over him from Starclan, but she didn't seem happy with how he had reacted to the young warrior's death.

In fact, Yellowfang didn't seem happy about anything lately, especially when it came to Brokenstar. She regarded their leader with coldness and shame, but he didn't seem concerned at all with the medicine cat's opinion of him. Littlepaw didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. What if Yellowfang was right? What is Brokenstar really was destroying the warrior code?

The other clans certainly seemed to behave differently than Shadowclan. At the gathering they had intermixed with each other while Shadowclan stood separate from all of them. Littlepaw had thought it was because all of the other cats knew that Shadowclan was the strongest, so they didn't want to mess with them, but what if they just didn't like them? What if Shadowclan had drifted so far from the warrior code that it wasn't really connected with the other clans anymore? What if Shadowclan had become its own separate entity, away from the other clans?

Littlepaw couldn't get into the feast that night. He stayed for a little while and ate his fill, but right after he finished eating he retreated into the apprentice den to be alone with his thoughts.

He curled up in his nest and tried to tune out the celebration going on in the clearing. Eventually the whistling of the soft wind lulled him to sleep.

…

There was no trouble from Windclan for the next halfmoon, much to the delight of Littlepaw and his littermates. The rest of the clan seemed to be avoiding the topic of Windclan, especially around the apprentices and Brokenstar.

Many of the senior warriors avoided their leader as often as possible, for reasons that Littlepaw could guess at. The younger warriors were much more accepting of Brokenstar's methods, but even they strayed off the topic of the Windclan battle when their leader passed by.

Only Brokenstar's inner circle of warriors seemed to have no doubts about their leader. Blackfoot, the clan deputy of only 3 moons, had always been loyal to Brokenstar even when he knew some of his decisions were wrong; he, along with four others made up Brokenstar's inner circle. Clawface, who had become violently loyal to Brokenstar after the leader had saved his life in the Windclan battle, Boulder and Russetfur, who were always looking for a way to prove their loyalty to Shadowclan, but didn't always go about it in the right way, and Tangleburr, who had such unwavering loyalty to their leader that it was rumored that she loved him, all made up the six cats, including himself, that Brokenstar trusted the most.

Littlepaw didn't really understand why everyone was sidestepping the battle with Windclan. It had seemed like just a regular battle to him, except for the fact that the Windclan cats had fled over the hills at the edge of the moor instead of running back to camp. He had to leave before the battle was over because of a badly torn claw, but he hadn't thought he missed anything.

The young apprentice yawned and sat up, shaking out his dusty fur.

He had been thinking a lot lately about Shadowclan's values as opposed to the other clans', and it was starting to really exhaust him.

He heard paws shuffling and anxious and accusing voices mixed together from outside the apprentice den. He blinked; it seemed a little early for a clan meeting.

Littlepaw stepped outside the apprentice den to find most of the clan gathered around Yellowfang and Brightflower, whose eyes were full of accusation, hatred, and most of all grief. She was glaring at Yellowfang, who looked shocked and horrified at her mother's reaction to her.

Runningnose leaped between them with a hiss of, "Don't be ridiculous, Brightflower!"

Brokenstar held up his tail, and the clan fell silent. "We will never know what happened tonight," he meowed softly, his voice cracking with sorrow. "All we know is that two kits, two promising warriors, are dead, and Yellowfang was with them. Yellowfang, as our medicine cat, there must have been something you could have done."

Littlepaw blinked at the scene in shock. Marigoldkit and Mintkit were dead?

"I-I tried, but-," Yellowfang protested.

Brokenstar cut her off. "Russetfur, is there any evidence that she treated their wounds?"

Russetfur shook her head. "No, Brokenstar," she meowed, looking awkward that she had to be the one to condemn Yellowfang.

"They were dead when I found them!" she exclaimed, desperate to clear her name.

Was the clan really going to drive Yellowfang out? Did they really think that she would kill her own siblings?

"Frogtail," Brokenstar continued. "Were their bodies cold?"

The gray warrior ducked his head. "Well…no."

Yowls of protest erupted from her clanmates. They looked so hostile and violent; were they going to kill her? There was so much hatred in the air that it was impossible to tell how far they would go.

Nutwhisker and Rowanberry joined Newtspeck and Runningnose in the group that was trying to defend the medicine cat, but their protests went unheard.

Brokenstar turned to face the target of all the hatred. "Yellowfang, you cannot stay here. For your own safety, you must leave."

"You mean j-join the elders?" she stammered.

But no, that wasn't good enough. Brokenstar made Yellowfang leave the territory completely.

She staggered out of the camp, refusing any help the other, more sympathetic, cats offered her.

Littlepaw watched her go in a shocked silence, but he didn't do anything to stop it. What could he have done? He was only an apprentice!

The thought didn't comfort him in the slightest.

She was still gone, and he had done nothing to stop it.

…


	6. Chapter 4

The clan felt terribly empty without Yellowfang there. Runningnose was a good medicine cat, and Littlepaw enjoyed talking to him in his free time, but he still didn't fill the hole that Yellowfang left behind.

Littlepaw wasn't nearly as excited to go to the gathering as he had been last time. He hated the way that the other cats stared at him, and the fact that all the Shadowclan cats did at the gathering was sit in one tight-knit group and talk quietly amongst themselves.

The apprentices from the other clans would intermix with each other and it seemed like they exchanged stories and memories. It looked like fun to Littlepaw, but Wetpaw and Brownpaw weren't interested in anyone outside of Shadowclan.

Littlepaw tried to get them to go with him this gathering, just to see what it was like to talk to some of the other apprentices, but they refused. He begged them, but they still said no, so when Shadowclan finally reached the gathering, he ventured off alone.

Riverclan had been the first clan to arrive, plus Thunderclan and Windclan hadn't shown up yet, so Littlepaw padded over to three Riverclan apprentices who were discussing the clan leaders in very serious sounding tones. Littlepaw wasn't exactly sure how to greet them, so he just sort of hovered near them while they talked.

Eventually one of the apprentices, a thickset tabby tom who was about twice the size of Littlepaw, noticed him, nudged the other two apprentices, and nodded towards the tiny apprentice.

Littlepaw shrunk away from the three piercing glances, but he forced himself to introduce himself.

"H-Hi," he stammered shyly. "I'm Littlepaw."

The dark gray she-cat sniffed indigently. "Little is right," she scoffed. "You look like you're four moons old."

Littlepaw almost told her that he was nearly six moons old, thank you very much, but he couldn't tell the other apprentices that he wasn't six moons old yet, so he held his tongue.

The she-cat seemed to think that this gave her permission to continue.

"Why are you even over here anyway?" she mewed importantly. "Aren't you Shadowclan cats too busy planning your next attack on innocent cats to worry about such trivial things such as us? Aren't all of you too important to even talk to anyone outside of your own clan?"

Littlepaw took a step back in shock and fury. "That's not true!"

"Oh, yeah? Tell that to the rest of your clan," she hissed. She angled her head in the direction of the rest of Shadowclan who were sitting by themselves, just like she said.

Littlepaw glared at her. "Well, maybe we would be a bit more open if you load of fox dung wasn't the one to greet us when we finally branched out," he hissed, his eyes flashing.

"Why you fox-hearted little-!"

"Shadepaw, stop," the silver tabby apprentice meowed firmly.

The dark gray she-cat turned on her clan mate with a sharp hiss. "Stay out of it, Silverpaw! I should have known that you would defend him. You're too soft on everyone; these cats are murderers!"

_Murderers?_ Did she seriously just call him a murderer? He had never killed anyone!

He was about to tackle her to the ground in pure fury, but the third apprentice stepped between them right when he was about to leap.

"Silverpaw's right, Shadepaw; you've said enough," he told the bristling she-cat calmly.

She averted her eyes and stalked away, her tail still lashing with fury. After a moment of hesitation, the tabby tom followed her, leaving only Silverpaw.

"Sorry," she mewed shortly before following her fellow apprentices away.

She seemed like the nicest of the three apprentices, but she didn't seem to like him any more than the other two. What had he done wrong?

He sat alone; listening to the conversations of some of the other groups of cats until Thunderclan suddenly appeared out of the forest. Bluestar was at the head of the group with her warriors following closely behind in a tight, organized group.

Littlepaw watched as they dissolved into other groups that they had formed after many visits to the gatherings. A few of the younger-looking cats seemed a little less sure where to go, but soon the group of three broke apart, and headed away in different directions.

He followed the long-haired gray tom over to a group of cats who were discussing medicinal herbs, and he found himself growing strangely interested in their conversation. A few minutes later, a dark ginger tom settled down next to the gray tom, and the two of them started a conversation of their own.

"It never would have happened in the time of the great clan cats," a black Riverclan queen growled about an herb that Two-legs had destroyed many moons ago.

"Indeed," agreed a silver tabby. "The great cats would have killed any Two-leg that dared enter their territory. If Tigerclan roamed this forest still, Two-legs would not have built this far into our land."

A pretty tortoiseshell she-cat who had been sitting quietly at the edge of the group until then broke in quietly with a comment of, "If Tigerclan still roamed these forests, _we_ would hardly have made our territory here, either."

"What's Tigerclan?"

Littlepaw didn't realize that it was him who asked the question until the entire group turned to look at him.

_Oh no._ He thought, shaking. _Were they going to hiss at him like Shadepaw had?_ But, the gray apprentice's voice was soft and natural when he answered him.

"Tigerclan is one of the great cat clans that used to roam the forest. Tigerclan is cats of the night, big as horses, with jet-black stripes. Then there is Lionclan. They're…" The gray apprentice broke off, trying to remember, but Littlepaw had heard of Lionclan.

"Oh! I've heard of them!" he broke in helpfully. "They were as big as Tigerclan cats, with yellow fur and golden manes like rays of the sun."

The apprentice nodded happily. "And then there is the other one, Spottyclan or something like that…"

"I suspect you are thinking of Leopardclan, young Graypaw," meowed and older, more noble voice from behind them.

"Lionheart!" the gray apprentice, Graypaw, fittingly, greeted the large, golden tom.

The golden warrior shook his head in fake exasperation. "Don't you youngsters know your history? Leopardclan are the swiftest cats, huge and golden, spotted with black paw prints. You can thank Leopardclan for the speed and hunting skills you now possess."

"Thank them? Why?" Littlepaw asked curiously. He was getting very invested in their discussion; Brokenstar had forced the elders to leave camp, so he never go to hear stories like this when he was younger. He never realized how much he had missed out.

"There is a trace of all the great cats in every cat today. We would not be night hunters without our Tigerclan ancestors, and our love of the sun's warmth comes from Lionclan." Littlepaw nodded, begging for the older warrior to go on, but instead he threw something completely unexpected at him. "You are a Shadowclan apprentice, aren't you? How many moons are you?"

Littlepaw blinked up at the large, suddenly intimidating, warrior, and felt all of his senses freeze up all at once. "S-Six moons," he finally answered, staring down at the ground, begging for it to just swallow him up now and be done with it.

Lionheart didn't believe him. "Rather small for six moons," he murmured, his eyes searching and serious.

"My mother was small too," Littlepaw responded quickly, scampering away as fast as he could.

When he had settled himself comfortably among his own clanmates and had calmed down the racing of his heart, he finally had time to feel guilty about the whole ordeal.

Graypaw and Lionheart had been so kind to him, and he had lied to them. Sure, it almost wasn't a lie since he would be six moons in only a few sunrises, but that didn't change the sinking feeling in his stomach whenever he thought about how he had deceived them.

…


	7. Chapter 5

Littlepaw curled up in his nest after the gathering, ready to go to sleep, but even his exhaustion couldn't stop his mind from racing after everything that had happened at the gathering that night.

As it turns out, Windclan hadn't come back after they fled over the hills at the edge of the moor. Some of Brokenstar's most trusted warriors, Littlepaw's mentor included, had driven them out of their territory completely so Shadowclan could take it over.

The thought of what his clan had done kept bringing him back to what Shadepaw had said. She had hated him because of his clan, and he couldn't help understanding why now.

Did he hate his clanmates for what they had done? Was he embarrassed of them? He didn't know.

He sat in his nest, wide awake, all night until the sun rose over the horizon, and Clawface poked his head into the den, motioning for him to get up to start training.

Littlepaw yawned and got up, reluctantly following his mentor to the training hollow. He hadn't been able to look at Clawface the same ever since he lied to him about driving out Windclan. Well, not lied exactly, since he never actually told him otherwise, but he had dodged any questions about what happened after Littlepaw left the battle, and he had never, ever told him the truth. He didn't feel comfortable around him anymore, or around most of his clan.

Littlepaw trailed behind his mentor, still dizzy with exhaustion. His vision blurred as he walked, and when he finally reached the clearing he discovered that he couldn't go a step farther, and collapsed in exhaustion.

"Littlepaw!"

He heard Clawface's frightened meow ring in his ears just before everything went dark.

…

He woke up in Runningnose's den later that same day, dizzy and confused.

"Oh, you're finally awake!"

Runningnose's cheerful mew erupted from somewhere in the den, but Littlepaw's vision was still blurry, so he couldn't make out exactly where it came from. He nodded uncertainly as his vision cleared and he was able to make out the smiling medicine cat in the back corner or the den.

"You gave Clawface quite a scare this morning," Runningnose told him. "But don't worry, you aren't sick, just tired, but I expect you knew that." The medicine cat smiled at him, but he was also questioning and serious. "Is something bothering you?"

"N-No," Littlepaw stuttered, averting his eyes. He couldn't tell Runningnose about his thoughts on Brokenstar, he wouldn't understand, or at least, Littlepaw didn't think he would.

The black and white tom didn't look convinced, but he waved Littlepaw out of his den without pressing any farther other than to mention that he would always be there if Littlepaw ever wanted to talk, but he had no intention of ever telling Runningnose about his fears.

He stepped out into the sunshine, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the new light. The first thing his eyes focused on when his vision cleared was Rowanberry and Clawface's new litter of kits, Whitekit, Blossomkit, Wildkit, and Tallkit, who were attacking a ball of moss ferociously outside the nursery. Behind them, Oakkit, Darkkit, and Nightkit were all asleep in the nursery next to their mother, Russetfur. Their father, Flintfang, was off hunting for them, but as soon as he was done he would be back in the nursery. The kits had just been born at halfmoon, and Rowanberry's litter had been born just one sunrise before. Meanwhile, Amberleaf was pregnant with Mousewing's kits and was due in about a moon.

Shadowclan was thriving.

"Littlepaw!" Blossomkit cried happily, noticing the small tom. She darted over, abandoning the game with the ball of moss, which she really didn't seem that into anyway. "You're going to be _my_ mentor when I'm an apprentice, aren't you?" She blinked up at him, her blue eyes wide and shining.

Littlepaw smiled at her. "I'm just an apprentice myself," he mewed sheepishly, a bit surprised by the she-cat's affection for him. Of course, he did hang out in the nursery quite often, sometimes because Clawface was there, and sometimes because he just liked being around kits, he couldn't wait to have some of his own. His eyes flicked over to Dawncloud's on their own, and he quickly brought them back to Blossomkit, feeling heat rise in his cheeks.

"Not for long!" she mewed happily, not noticing the tom's embarrassment. "I heard Clawface telling Rowanberry that it's time for your warrior assessment!"

Littlepaw blinked in shock. Already? He wasn't even six moons old yet! In spite of that, he was suddenly happier than he had been since Yellowfang's exile. He was going to be a warrior! He regretted every time he had criticized Brokenstar or Shadowclan; if he got to be a warrior six moons early because of Brokenstar's new system, then it couldn't be all wrong.

"That's wonderful!" he told her happily, touching noses with the young she-cat. "I promise, as soon as I'm a warrior, I'll ask Brokenstar about being your mentor."

The she-cat's eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically. "I only have to wait two-and-a-half moons! You'll definitely be a warrior by then!" she mewed happily.

Littlepaw smiled. "Until then you keep practicing your battle moves with your siblings," he instructed, pointing with his tail over at Whitekit, Tallkit, and Wildkit.

"Okay!" she agreed instantly, running back towards her siblings and pouncing on the ball of moss with all the fire and determination of Lionclan. Littlepaw grinned; Blossomkit couldn't be more perfect, and he was sure Brokenstar would make him her mentor when she reached three moons.

_Three moons._ The phrase echoed in his head. _She'll still be awfully small by then_. He shook the thought out of his head firmly. She would make a fine apprentice in two-and-a-half moons, and he wasn't going to let something as insignificant as her size get in the way of that. He padded away from the nursery to try to find Clawface.

When he finally did locate his mentor, he hesitated to greet him. He was in a tight group with the rest of Brokenstar's inner circle discussing something that Littlepaw couldn't make out. Brokenstar looked furious, and Littlepaw backed away, hoping not to be noticed by the intimidating tom, but it didn't work.

Brokenstar glanced up, and, seeing Littlepaw, motioned him over to the group. Littlepaw obeyed with slight hesitation but forced his pelt to lie flat as he made his way over.

"Fetch Wetpaw and Brownpaw for me, Littlepaw," Brokenstar ordered casually. "We were just talking about your warrior assessments."

Clawface nodded at him encouragingly, and Littlepaw nodded his agreement happily, racing off to find his littermates.

He found Brownpaw sleeping in the apprentice's den alone and Wetpaw talking to Dawncloud happily over by the warrior's den. He ignored the pang of jealousy that pierced his stomach. Moments later the three of them were back in front of Brokenstar, Clawface, Tangleburr, and Blackfoot waiting to know what they had to do for their warrior assessment. They talked excitedly to themselves, stopping only when Brokenstar raised his tail for silence.

"You three have trained long and hard these past moons, and now you are almost ready to become warriors." Brokenstar's voice was brisk and commanding, and it held onto Littlepaw and forced him to listen closely. "Tonight, while the moon is full and high in the sky, we will attack Thunderclan. They will regret rejecting our demands at the gathering." His claw sunk into the wet earth, and eyes burned with rage. Littlepaw was a bit frightened by this, but it didn't seem to bother Wetpaw or Brownpaw, so he simply followed their lead and nodded happily at his leader.

"Great, there will be three patrols, and each of you will be in one of them," he continued briskly, as if he had been planning this attack for moons. "Wetpaw, you will be in my patrol along with Fernshade and Mousewing. We will be the first attack, followed by the second patrol who will join us when I give the signal. Littlepaw, that will be the patrol you are in along with Tangleburr, Clawface, and Scorchwind. Last is Brownpaw's group who has the most essential job, which Blackfoot will tell that patrol, and that patrol alone, just before they enter the battle. Boulder and Frogtail will also be with the last group. Any questions?"

Littlepaw blinked at him, impressed. He _must_ have been planning this for a while; Shadowclan had never used a complicated battle strategy before. Littlepaw was getting excited just thinking about it.

"When are we leaving?" Brownpaw asked, unable to contain his excitement.

Brokenstar smiled at the young tom's enthusiasm. "Now."

He rose to his paws and summoned the remaining members of the three patrols. After a brief speech about defending Shadowclan's honor and defeating all who oppose the clan, the cats were off.

Tangleburr led Littlepaw's patrol through the pine forest, across the Thunderpath, and into Thunderclan territory. Their patrol moved through the trees silently and cautiously; their target was the Thunderclan camp, and the attack might not work if one of the patrols was spotted before they reached their destination.

Before long, Tangleburr raised her tail, indicating to the group that they had reached the place where they were supposed to wait for Brokenstar's signal. The patrol couched low to the ground, hoping to stay hidden as long as possible. They waited through the shrieks and growls coming from the Thunderclan camp until one call rang out above all of the others. Brokenstar!

Tangleburr stood up instantly, lashing he tail back and forth, ready for battle. She raised her head and shouted two words, sending Littlepaw's patrol into the throng of cats below.

"Shadowclan, attack!"

…


	8. Chapter 6

Littlepaw charged after Tangleburr and Scorchwind, closely followed by Clawface. As they entered the clearing, Littlepaw saw Mousewing fighting a dark tabby tom, Fernshade tussling with three elders, and Brokenstar battling with a large, white warrior who was even bigger than he was. For a moment he couldn't find Wetpaw, and his heart sunk with panic, but moments later he found him fighting with a dusty brown apprentice who was fighting hard, but not precisely enough to hit his opponent.

Tangleburr launched herself onto Lionheart, the tom that Littlepaw had met at the gathering last night, and Scorchwind and Clawface followed her lead, attacking four younger-looking warriors with just the two of them. Littlepaw charged after them, launching himself onto a dusky brown she-cat who was smaller than her clanmates, but still much bigger than him.

He clung onto her back, digging his claws into her thin fun, feeling them break through the skin. The she-cat screeched with pain and fury, and flung Littlepaw off of her with a sharp jerk. He flew through the air for a few slow seconds, but managed to twirl around in the air to land on his paws.

As soon as he had a grip, he surged forward again, crashing into the she-cat who wasn't expecting him to retaliate so quickly. He swiped at her muzzle, drawing blood, and she hissed in fury. She jumped over him then leaped at him from behind before he could whip around. He crashed to the ground hard, and he didn't have the size or strength to get out of the she-cat's grip.

She clawed at his face, but he turned his head so her claws raked his cheek instead of his eyes. He hissed with pain and tried to struggle free, but he couldn't escape the cat's grip.

"Let go of my apprentice!"

Clawface's furious growl ripped through the air, and the she-cat's weight suddenly disappeared, so he could breathe again. He watched her crash into one of the wall of the camp and collapse at the bottom, breathing hard in short bursts.

"Try an apprentice next time," Clawface told him quickly before returning to a pale tabby tom who had leaped at him after he threw the brown she-cat.

Littlepaw wanted to fight a warrior to prove that he was ready, but Clawface was right. He was just too small to take on a full blown warrior.

He spotted a light ginger she-cat who was only slightly larger than him, and ran towards her, desperate to win a fight. The she-cat didn't even see him coming, and she let out a grunt of pain when he landed on top of her. They wrestled each other ferociously, clawing each other at any point they could. By the time Littlepaw actually delivered a strong blow that sent the she-cat running towards what could only be the medicine cat's den, he was bleeding over his eye and as various other places on his flank.

He glanced around quickly, trying to figure out if his clanmates were alright and trying to find a new target.

The third Shadowclan patrol had arrived; Frogtail was battling two Thunderclan queens simultaneously, but he didn't seem to need any help, and Boulder was battling with Clawface against the tree remaining younger warriors, replacing Scorchwind who had gone to attack Bluestar when she, Tigerclaw, Graypaw, and two other apprentices had returned from who knows where. Tangleburr was fighting the dark ginger apprentice, Lionheart nowhere to be seen, Blackfoot was off somewhere doing the mission Brokenstar had given him, Brownpaw was attacking a younger queen, he belly swollen with kits.

She was much too big for him to take on, but before Littlepaw could rush over to help him, he felt someone tackle him from behind.

He knew from the weight that it had to be an apprentice, so he rolled with the cat's attack and actually managed to end up on top of him when the two finished rolling. _Graypaw!_ The name flashed in his mind at the sight of the gray tom, but he pushed it aside; this was a battle, not a gathering!

He planted his paws firmly on Graypaw's shoulders and pinned him to the ground. The apprentice was larger than him, but not by enough for him to escape, that is, until his reinforcements arrived.

A bundle of black fur plowed into him, and sent him flying off of Graypaw. He hit the ground hard, but forced himself to get up and face his two opponents. The two apprentices stood beside each other, their fur bristling with rage.

Littlepaw dug his claws into the ground and launched himself at the two toms. He raced towards Graypaw, who braced himself for the attack, but at the last second he turned and leapt on the black apprentice instead. He dug his claws into his flank then leaped back, bracing himself for Graypaw's counter attack.

The gray tom lunged at him, but Littlepaw ducked out of his way just in time. He reared up, ready to bring his paws down painfully on Graypaw's shoulders, but an ear-splitting cry stopped him in his tracks. _Brownpaw!_

He searched the clearing for his brother and was struck by how few Shadowclan warriors were left in the clan. Wetpaw was still fighting with the dusty brown apprentice, but now another warrior had joined him, and it looked like his brother was going to lose. Brokenstar was fighting Tigerclaw and the white warrior from before, and was actually doing a good job, but he couldn't win two v one against some of Thunderclan's best warriors. Clawface was fighting two warriors as well, trying to nudge Boulder out of the clearing. Then there was Brownpaw.

The apprentice was squealing with pain under the Thunderclan queen's fierce hold. His shoulder was angled out awkwardly, and his flank was covered in blood and fur.

"Brownpaw!" Littlepaw yowled, trying to get to his brother, but Graypaw cut him off. He tried to lunge around him, but the apprentice was quick, and he couldn't manage it without help. Luckily, Mousewing chose that moment to show up at his side.

"Go!" he told Littlepaw urgently. "I'll take care of these two."

Littlepaw didn't hesitate. He darted around the apprentice and ran straight towards his brother, knocking the queen off of him with a loud grunt. He clawed at the queen, trying to keep her away from Brownpaw, but she was so big, he couldn't, he couldn't, but he had too.

His desperation and passion gave him strength, and he plowed she she-cat over, sending her fleeing away in fear for her unborn kits.

"Brownpaw," Littlepaw mewed franticly, running back to his side. "Brownpaw! Come on, we have to go!"

"Can't," he choked out, unable to stand even if he wanted to.

Littlepaw didn't know what to do; there was no way he could carry Brownpaw back to camp.

"I've got him," he heard Clawface meow on his side, trying to keep his voice steady. His mentor lifted Littlepaw's littermate up, ignoring the cries of pain that followed.

He ran out of the clearing followed closely by Littlepaw. Only Mousewing, Wetpaw, and Brokenstar were left in the camp now, and they didn't seem to have much left in them either. Mousewing fled first, followed soon after by Brokenstar and Wetpaw, who had Thunderclan warriors chasing them until the very moment they left the camp.

The Shadowclan cats fled out of Thunderclan territory, not bothering to stop when they had to cross the Thunderpath, which turned out to be the worst decision they could have made.

Littlepaw heard the sickening crack as the Two-leg monster collided with Frogtail and sent him flying forward then falling to the ground. He was dead before he hit the surface.

"Frogtail!"

Mousewing's grief-stricken yowl only served to crush Littlepaw even more.

"Keep moving!" Brokenstar ordered. "We'll have to come back for him later or more cats will die from battle wounds that could have been healed if we had returned home sooner."

"You want us to leave him?" Mousewing cried, shocked.

"Yes. Come on; we have to go."

Mousewing hesitated at the edge of the Thunderpath, but eventually he followed his leader's order and headed back to camp with the rest of the patrol.

…


	9. Chapter 7

Littlepaw hovered outside of the medicine cat's den, waiting to hear news on Brownpaw. Runningnose's focus was entirely on the injured apprentice; he had the queens taking care of the less deadly injuries while he worked on the apprentice.

Brownpaw's left shoulder had dislocated, hit right paw had been twisted, and his flank held some pretty deep scratches, all from that one queen. He would have to stay in the medicine den for moons, recovering from his injuries, and that was if he survived.

Littlepaw shook the thought out of his head violently, and scolded himself for even thinking it. Brownpaw couldn't die; he had so much warrior potential!

Littlepaw paused. _Just like Mosspaw, Volepaw, Badgerfang, Marigoldkit, and Mintkit._ He thought miserably, remembering his dead clanmates and denmates.

_Why did they die?_ He wondered, looking up at the stars. _What was it for?_

Brokenstar claimed it was for revenge, and power, and prosperity in the clan, but in reality, all it caused was more death. He found himself hating his leader for taking away his childhood, and driving the clan into unnecessary battles that killed off a new kit every time. Who would it be next? Brownpaw, maybe, or even Blossomkit, sweet, innocent little Blossomkit.

His eyes narrowed, and he glared at the ground.

"Littlepaw?"

He jerked his head up, startled by the new voice, but it was only Clawface, who seemed to have more skin that was scarred than skin with fur nowadays.

"Y-Yes?" Littlepaw stuttered, trying to act like he hadn't just been cursing their leader in his head moments ago.

Clawface tilted his head to the side in confusion, but didn't press. "Brokenstar wants to see you," he told his apprentice cautiously. "It's about your warrior ceremony."

His warrior ceremony? Littlepaw has completely forgotten about that because of Brownpaw's injuries and Frogtail's death, even though it was all he could think about mere hours ago.

He reluctantly got up and followed Clawface to Brokenstar's den. He was sure his mentor could sense his hesitation, but he didn't seem concerned by it, so neither of them brought it up.

When he entered Brokenstar's den, he found Wetpaw already inside, looking much more excited than Littlepaw was. His tail was shaking with anticipation, and his eyes were bright and alive. Littlepaw tried to mirror his excitement, but failed.

"Brokenstar's going to make us warriors!" his brother mewed excitedly.

Littlepaw blinked. "What about Brownpaw?"

The light faded from Wetpaw's eyes, and he averted his eyes. "Brokenstar says because he lost he can't be a warrior yet." He paused, and then continued in a brighter tone. "But once he's all healed he can prove that he's ready to be a warrior, and everything will be back to how it was, except we'll be warriors!"

Littlepaw couldn't share in his brother's certainty, but he faked a smile, which seemed to satisfy Wetpaw.

Moments later, Brokenstar and Blackfoot entered the den, both looking battered, but not broken. Littlepaw angled his ears towards them, but instantly flicked them away when he heard Blackfoot murmur that Scorchwind had died of his wounds that were actually much deeper than Runningnose thought.

Littlepaw flinched. _There's two more cats, dead._

"I hope you two are ready to be warriors," Brokenstar announced proudly. "Your ceremony will be at moonhigh." He nodded at the two apprentices, and motioned for them to leave the den so he could talk with Blackfoot alone.

Littlepaw hurried out of the den, heading straight towards the medicine cat's den where Scorchwind and Frogtail, who Mousewing had gone back to get as soon as Amberleaf had patched up his wounds, laid, their bodies sprawled out unnaturally and their chests shockingly still.

Runningnose was standing over their bodies with a mixture of grief and self-loathing; he obviously felt like Scorchwind's death was his fault.

Littlepaw padded over to him and rested his tail comfortingly on his shoulder. Runningnose glanced up at him, but returned his gaze to Scorchwind almost instantly. "Do you think Yellowfang could have saved him?" the medicine cat mewed suddenly.

Littlepaw bowed his head, his eyes brimming with pity for the young tom. "Even she made mistakes; don't blame yourself." He shuffled closer to Runningnose and pressed his flank to the medicine cat's.

They sat like that in silence until Brokenstar called the clan together for Littlepaw and Wetpaw's warrior ceremony. Brownpaw poked his head out of the medicine cat's den with a lot of effort to watch his brothers become warriors. His eyes shone with happiness and forced back envy for the other two apprentices.

Brokenstar waited on top of the highrock until the clan had gathered then raised his tail for silence, to which the clan obeyed instantly. He beckoned the two apprentices forward, and leaped down from the highrock.

"Wetpaw, Littlepaw you two have shown great bravery in the battle against Thunderclan today, and you are now ready to become warriors. Wetpaw, you will now be known as Wetfoot, and Littlepaw, you will now be known as Littlecloud. Shadowclan welcomes you two as warriors of the clan!"

"Wetfoot! Littlecloud! Wetfoot! Littlecloud!" the clan cheered half-heartedly, showing their joy for the new warriors, but also their running grief for their lost clanmates and Brownpaw, who was still struggling in the medicine cat's den.

Wetfoot raised his head proudly, taking in all of the cheers, but, to Littlecloud at least, the experience hadn't felt as magical without the ceremonial words that Newtspeck talked about and the blessing of Starclan that should be warming him from ears to tail tip right about now.

He was a warrior at last, but he didn't feel satisfied. Instead, he just felt empty.

…

Brokenstar told the two new warriors that they didn't have to sit vigil if they didn't want to, since the clearing would already be full of cats who were sitting vigil for Scorchwind and Frogtail that night, but Littlecloud didn't think he would feel like a warrior without the vigil. He couldn't control whether or not Brokenstar used the proper words for the ceremonies, but he could at least do this part of the warrior ceremony properly.

…

Two-and-a-half days later, at sunhigh, Littlecloud was sitting in the medicine cat's den next to Brownpaw, trying to keep him warm during the rainstorm that was pounding outside of the den. The clearing outside was empty because of the rain, but the whole clan felt empty as well.

Brackenfoot and Wolfstep had died yesterday because of a battle with the rats that Brokenstar thought would improve the clan's strength after their most recent defeat. The rats had overwhelmed them, and most of the clan had just escaped with their lives, but some weren't that lucky. Deerfoot had an infected rat bite that looked really bad as well, and then there were the kits.

Brokenstar had _invited_ Rowanberry's kits to the battle site without telling anyone else in the clan. He wanted them to see a battle first hand before they became apprentices, but he had to know that they wouldn't stay in their hiding place.

Blossomkit, brave little Blossomkit, had gone to try to help her clan when she heard their screeches. Littlecloud had been unable to stop the rats from swarming her, killing her with one sharp bite to the neck.

He had been the one to carry her back to camp, and he had been the one to have to endure Rowanberry's fresh grief for her kit. She had only gone to sleep for a moment, she had said. How could this have happened? And, Littlecloud told her. "It was Brokenstar."

Most of the clan had become cold and frightened of Brokenstar ever since, his ruthless personality finally uncovered under all of his speeches and battle strategies. Worst of all, Littlecloud had lost Clawface to him.

The battle-scarred tom didn't even seem to care about Blossomkit's death; he was too busy telling all of the warriors outside of Brokenstar's inner circle that they hadn't fought hard enough, which was why they had lost. He called Brackenfoot and Wolfstep weaklings and the rest of the clan even worse names because at least the other two had died in battle instead of fleeing like cowards.

Rowanberry was miserable because of her lost kit and her mate's change of heart, and nothing any cat said could comfort her; she was too far gone.

Speaking of Clawface, he hadn't been around all day. Rumors were circulating that Brokenstar sent him on a special mission, but why would he send his second smallest inner circle member, Russetfur was the smallest, on a mission instead of Blackfoot or Boulder?

The answer came to him moments later when Clawface returned to camp carrying two kits, both around three moons old at the most. There was a brown tabby tom and a gray she-cat whose blue eyes were familiar to him somehow, but he couldn't remember from where.

Clawface went straight to Brokenstar's den, and for the first time he noticed the blood soaking his old mentor's claws. Littlecloud shuddered; that was Thunderclan scent on him.

Littlecloud tried to distract himself from thinking about the kits by talking to Brownpaw, but he couldn't help looking up when Brokenstar and Clawface placed the kits in the nursery and had all of the members of his inner circle stand guard outside, including Russetfur, who didn't look too happy about leaving her kits for the prospect of battle, but was so desperate to be loyal to Brokenstar that she didn't care.

Littlecloud waited in nervous silence with the rest of his clan until someone entered the clearing, but not who anyone was expecting.

Three of the elders, Ashfur, Nightpelt, and Featherstorm were guarding a gray she-cat who looked as if she had just been ripped out of a nest of brambles. He saw Rowanberry's eyes light up in shock, and he knew exactly who was in the center of the group of elders.

They had captured Yellowfang!

…


	10. Chapter 8

Brokenstar let the elders enter the camp without protest, his eyes glittering maliciously with victory.

"So," he began, grinning viciously. "You came back."

Yellowfang's eyes narrowed. "Only to rid Shadowclan of _you,_ Brokenstar!"

She let out an ear-splitting yowl and charged at the Shadowclan leader, knocking him over, and pinning him to the ground. To Littlecloud's surprise the elders charged into battle beside her. Ashfur launched himself at Russetfur and Boulder, Brightflower charged at Blackfoot, and Featherstorm took on Tangleburr and Clawface. Did they seriously think they could beat Brokenstar's toughest warriors? Did they expect the rest of Shadowclan to follow them?

He could sense the other warriors' hesitation, and he waited for one of the older warriors to decide what to do first, but they never got the chance to decide because at that moment seven Thunderclan cats exploded out of the marshes and launched themselves onto Brokenstar's warriors, replacing the elders who had been there only moments before.

Littlecloud recognized Graypaw and the dark ginger tom who he had been talking to at the gathering among them. The ginger tom launched himself onto Boulder, and Graypaw attacked Russetfur, both of the toms battling with all of their skill and strength. In no time Boulder, Russetfur, and Blackfoot had fled into the forest, and Tangleburr and Clawface were losing badly and looking for a means to escape.

The ginger tom looked ready to kill Clawface who he had defended himself against after he defeated Boulder, but the large white warrior who had been battling Blackfoot pulled him off and let him flee into the woods. Littlecloud was surprised at how relieved he was that his old mentor was safe.

Tangleburr fled soon after, losing her fight against two younger warriors, one of whom was the dusky brown she-cat that Littlecloud had fought back in the Thunderclan camp. Now only Brokenstar remained.

Their leader let out a furious screech, and Littlecloud turned his attention back him. Yellowfang was on top of him, pinning him to the ground with muddy, bloodstained paws. Brokenstar was covered in deep, bloody wounds, and his face was contorted in a vicious snarl.

"I never thought you would be harder to kill than my father!" he snarled at her.

Littlecloud took a step back in shock and could feel most of his clanmates doing the same. Brokenstar had killed Raggedstar, his own father?

Yellowfang recoiled in shock, clearly sharing her former clanmates' shock. Sensing her loosening grip Brokenstar tossed her aside with a powerful twist of his body.

"_You_, killed Raggedstar?" Yellowfang wailed, her eyes full of grief and sorrow unlike any of the other Shadowclan cats.

Brokenstar glanced coolly at the old she-cat, looking almost proud that he had killed his own father. "You found his body. Didn't you see my fur between his claws? He was a soft and foolish leader. He deserved to die." The leader sneered at her, gloating in her misery.

"No!" she screeched, bowing her head in misery.

Littlepaw thought she looked utterly defeated, but Shadowclan's old medicine cat was not someone who was completely crushed that easily. She shook herself off and fixed Brokenstar with a serious, straightforward glare that even managed to cause a flicker of fear to flash across Brokenstar's face for an instant.

"And Brightflower's kits?" she asked furiously. "Did they deserve to die too?"

Brokenstar growled and launched himself at Yellowfang, who didn't even try to struggle, and pinned her to the ground.

"Those kits were weak," Brokenstar hissed, bending closer to Yellowfang. "They would have been of no use to Shadowclan. If I hadn't killed them, some other warrior would have."

Brightflower let out an anguished wail from across the clearing, and buried her face in Amberleaf's chest, sobbing into the queen's fur.

"I should have killed _you_ while I had the chance," Brokenstar spat at Yellowfang. "It seems I must have some of my father's softness. I was a fool to let you leave Shadowclan alive!" He lunged at her, and Littlecloud closed his eyes, waiting to hear the moment when his teeth sunk into her throat, but it never came.

Littlecloud opened his eyes hesitantly, but they flew open the rest of the way when he saw that the dark ginger tom had tackled the Shadowclan leader and flung him off of Yellowfang with a furious hiss.

"Don't waste your time, apprentice!" Brokenstar growled. "I've shared dreams with Starclan. You will have to kill me nine times over before I join them. Do you think you're strong enough for that?" He sneered at the apprentice with confidence and defiance.

The ginger tom stepped back hesitantly, probably thinking about how he could possibly bean a clan leader, but the rest of Shadowclan didn't give the apprentice a chance to make a decision.

Brightflower was the first to step forward, her eyes burning with hatred and grief as she hissed viciously at the defeated leader. Mousewing and Rowanberry followed her, and slowly the whole clan surrounded their vicious leader.

Brokenstar seemed to realize that even he couldn't take on an entire clan by himself, so he backed away into the bushes with only a hiss of, "This isn't over, apprentice," left behind.

…

The Thunderclan cats left a few minutes later, taking their two stolen kits with them and promising that Shadowclan would be left in peace for one moon so they could rebuild their broken clan.

Littlecloud could sense the tension and hesitation in his clanmates as if they weren't sure what to do now that Brokenstar was finally gone. Nightpelt was the first cat to step forward, and, with a commanding flick of his tail, he silenced the clan.

"The first thing we have to do," he began hesitantly, taking in all of the eyes on him, "is choose a new leader to take Brokenstar's place. Does anyone want that responsibility?"

Not one cat moved. Littlecloud glanced around at his clanmates, moving only his eyes, trying to see one cat who was at least thinking about taking on leadership of the clan, but everyone else was doing the same thing he was.

"What about you, Nightpelt?" suggested a cat in the back of the crowd hesitantly.

Nightpelt looked shocked that his name was even considered for leader, but slowly the other members of the clan began murmuring their agreement until the whole clan was looking at Nightpelt expectantly.

At first he shrunk under all of the hopeful stares, but then some unforeseen determination passed over his face, and he stood straight up, making eye contact with every member of the clan.

"I would be honored," he began, just loud enough for everyone to hear him, "to serve as leader of Shadowclan."

The clan cheered; they would overcome Brokenstar's rule and move forward no matter what obstacles they faced.

Nightpelt nodded his thanks and leapt up onto the highrock to address the entire clan.

"Brokenstar's leadership has left Shadowclan broken and battered, but we will come back. We will not let Brokenstar destroy Shadowclan's name for the rest of our lives. We will overcome this, and will do it together."

The clan looked up at him with shining eyes, begging him to keep speaking, to give them hope again.

"I say these words before the spirits of my ancestors so they may hear it and approve my choice. Cinderfur will be the new deputy of Shadowclan."

The gray tom blinked up at him, shocked that he would ever be chosen for deputy out of everyone else in the clan. "Thank you, Nightpelt," he meowed. "I will try my hardest to make Shadowclan great again."

Nightpelt nodded at him, and then turned his attention back to the clan. "Together, we will bring back Shadowclan's reputation of strength that comes from the warrior code rather than unnecessary bloodshed and terror. To do that we will have to make a lot of difficult decisions, but this first one is going to be easy."

The clan waited in silence for what he was going to say next.

"Dawncloud," he began, turning his attention to the young she-cat who had jumped when her name had been mentioned. "Would you please fetch the elders and tell them that they are more than welcome back in camp."

…


	11. Chapter 9

The next few seasons passed without much change in the clan other than all of the new faces and the ones that changed or disappeared completely. Wildkit, Tallkit, and Whitekit had become apprenticed, and Nightkit, Oakkit, and Darkkit were almost ready to receive their apprentice names as well. Dawncloud and Wetfoot had three kits: Rowankit, Cedarkit, and Boulderkit. Deerfoot had died from an infected injury in the rat battle, and Littlebird and Hollyflower had died of old age while the elders had still been banished from the clan.

The clan felt empty without all of Brokenstar's warriors around, but the one that had hurt the clan the most was Russetfur's desertion. Amberleaf had taken over taking care of Russetfur's kits when her own two kits were born early and died in minutes. The fact that the young, russet-colored queen had abandoned her kits had hit the clan hard and nearly ruined everyone's memory of her.

Nightstar was working hard as leader, and he was really helping to build back up Shadowclan's reputation and strength. He had needed to make some difficult decisions, but in the end most of them had been for the best, but now, Littlecloud wasn't so sure that he was about to do the right thing.

"Cats of Shadowclan!" he yowled over the restless murmuring below him. "At dawn tomorrow, Thunderclan will understand that we will not tolerate their insistence on protecting Brokenstar! Together with Windclan we will make them regret ever taking in that traitorous murderer!"

The clan answered him with yowls of agreement; the clan wanted blood, Brokenstar's blood, but was this really the right way or doing it?

Yes, Littlecloud had been furious when Wildpaw told the clan what his Thunderclan friend, Swiftpaw, had told him about Brokenstar. He couldn't understand why Thunderclan was protecting him; he was still able to hunt and fight so he should have to take care of himself, but then Littlecloud found out that he was blinded in the attack, and he actually understood, in a way, why Thunderclan hadn't thrown him out into the woods to fend for himself.

His clanmates; however, didn't see any reason why Thunderclan would protect someone like Brokenstar, so the clan was going to force them to drive him out, with a bit of help from Windclan.

"Cinderfur, Wetfoot, Stumpytail, Newtspeck, Fernshade, Mousewing, and Flintfang: you will be fighting tomorrow, so prepare yourselves tonight because at dawn, we strike!"

The clan yowled their agreement, but Littlecloud couldn't help being happy that he wasn't going to be a part of the invasion. Ever since Brokenstar had left, fighting had only become an annoyance to Littlecloud; he didn't really see the point of it. The only thing any clan was gaining from these battles was pride and injured or dead warriors.

Littlecloud had been spending a lot of time in Runningnose's den lately, and it wasn't just because Brownpaw was still there. The medicine cat seemed like the only cat in the clan who understood Littlecloud's dislike of battles, so he spent most of his free time there, so much so that the clan started to joke about whether or not _he_ should be a medicine cat.

He laughed with them when they joked, but he knew he could never be a medicine cat. He could have handled memorizing all of the herbs and treating wounds, and he might have actually enjoyed not having to fight anymore, but the thought of never being able to have a mate and kits forced him away from the profession every time.

He was still clinging to the hope that Dawncloud would realize how much she really cared for Littlecloud, and not his brother. The tabby warrior knew that was a horrible thing to think, but he just couldn't accept that Dawncloud had chosen Wetfoot over him. Of course, she might not have even known that Littlecloud liked her because he had never actually told her. He had been wrong to think that being super nice to her and helping her out whenever he was able to would make her realize how much he cared for her.

He was sure he cared for her, but not entirely sure how much. He had never liked anyone else before, so he wasn't sure if he liked Dawncloud a lot or if someone else would come along that could easily drive her completely out of his thoughts.

Littlecloud shook himself off and headed back into the warriors den for the night. He was tired of dissecting every new conflict in the clan, and he was looking forward to a nice, quiet day to sleep the following day.

…

Littlecloud slept until the sun was high in the sky, and he only got up when he heard Rowanberry announce that the warriors had come back to camp.

Littlecloud poked his head out of the warrior's den, and he was startled to see how battered all of the warriors looked, especially his brother. Littlecloud blinked in shock. It had been two clans verses one; how could they have lost?

"Brokenstar lives," Nightstar snarled. "Those Thunderclan traitors were willing to lay down their lives to protect Brokenstar. I don't know how they live with themselves." Their leader retreated into his den, mumbling about how wrong all of this was.

Littlecloud padded over to Wetfoot, who Runningnose was treating first and sat down beside him. "What in the name of Starclan happened to all of you? You look like you faced ten clans, not one."

Wetfoot glared at him, but his gaze softened when he realized his brother was joking. "That Tigerclaw is stronger than nine clans by himself, and some apprentice warned the clan before we got close enough to fight properly," Wetfoot growled. "We weren't willing to die for the sake of Brokenstar, but apparently they were. I will never understand Thunderclan cats."

Littlecloud laughed. "Yeah, they sure do things differently than the rest of us," he chuckled.

Wetfoot couldn't help but smile too, a smile which was soon replaced with a grimace. "Ow!" he hissed, turning on Runningnose. "What was that stuff?"

"It will keep the wounds from getting infected," Runningnose answered briskly, ignoring the young warrior's harsh tone. "Just leave it alone, and whatever you do, do not lick it off."

Wetfoot swallowed and nodded solemnly at the medicine cat, terrified at what Runningnose had used to treat him.

Littlecloud recognized the herb that had been used instantly, and couldn't help chuckling to himself quietly at Runningnose's cunningness. The herb wasn't poisonous at all, but it was rare, and it would take forever to get more if Wetfoot carelessly licked it off. Littlecloud was forced to turn away and head back to the warriors den so he would avoid ruining Runningnose's brilliant lie with his laughter.

…

Most of the next few moons passed without anything particularly interesting happening. Shadowclan heard news that Brokenstar had died which kept them from allying with Windclan again against the cruel leader.

Whitethroat, Tallpoppy, and Wildfur had received their warrior names, plus Oakkit, Nightkit, and Darkkit became apprentices, and Wetfoot became mentor to Oakpaw, looking incredibly pleased that he had an apprentice of his own now. Nightstar had asked Littlecloud if he wanted to train Nightpaw, but he had turned him down. He had only ever wanted Blossomkit as an apprentice, and it just felt wrong to try to train some other kit. He knew he'd have to have an apprentice eventually, but he just didn't feel ready for the responsibility right now.

He could wait; he decided. He had plenty of time to get an apprentice.

…

It was three days before the gathering, four days after the three new apprentices had been named, and one day before the worst crisis since Brokenstar hit Shadowclan, but no one knew of it at that time.

Wetfoot had sent Oakpaw on his first solo hunting mission to see if he could catch anything before sunset. The gray warrior was waiting in camp when the young apprentice returned, talking to Dawncloud about their kits. They were going to be apprentices in about a moon, and both parents were very excited.

Wetfoot motioned for Oakpaw to set his catch of three frogs and a large mouse that must have wandered over from Thunderclan territory onto the fresh kill pile and get some rest while he finished talking to his mate.

By the time he had finally gotten around to checking out his apprentices kill the rest of the hunting patrols had brought back food and most of the clan had taken their pick of prey. Two of Oakpaw's frogs were gone, but the large mouse and the single frog that was covering it remained. Wetfoot lifted up the frog to see how well it had been killed, but dropped it in shock when he caught sight of what he thought had been a mouse only moments before.

"Oakpaw!" he summoned his apprentice quickly. "Where did you catch this rat?"

His apprentice shrunk back, sure he had done something wrong, but unsure of what it was. "Um… Near carrionplace," he mewed slowly, unsure of himself. "Was that bad?"

"Yes, Oakpaw," Wetpaw growled, not too sympathetically. "We don't eat carrionplace rats because they carry a disease powerful enough to wipe out an entire clan!"

Oakpaw's eyes widened in terror. "B-But no one's eaten it, so it's okay, right?" The tiny apprentice was shaking, terrified of what he might have done to his clan.

"No!" Wetfoot hissed. "Its disease has probably spread to the other pieces of freshkill already, and many cats have already served themselves."

He turned to the rest of the clan who had not even noticed that Wetfoot and Oakpaw's terrifying discussion was even going on. "How many of you have served yourself or someone else from the freshkill pile already?" Wetfoot yowled loudly so every cat could hear him.

In response, more than half of the clan raised their tails.

…


	12. Chapter 10

There was panic in the clan when Wetfoot announced what had happened, and Oakpaw sank closer to the ground. "I'm so sorry!" he squeaked, squinting his eyes closed as if that would make his mistake go away.

Littlecloud bounded over to him and wrapped his tail around the young apprentice, leading him away from the shocked, angry, and ashamed glanced that were being shot his way. The small tabby knew what it was like to be pelted with cruel looks, and he also knew that it would be best to just get him away from everyone.

They headed straight towards Runningnose's den and disappeared inside. Littlecloud led Oakpaw to the back of the den and sat him down with a quick lick on the head.

"Everything's going to be okay," he whispered kindly before moving away to talk to Runningnose. "Everything _will_ be okay, right?" he asked, suddenly unsure of his promise.

Runningnose blinked at him and shook his head. "I don't know, Littlecloud," he murmured uncertainly. "Yellowfang warned me about the carrionplace disease, but she never said there was a cure. In fact, I'm almost certain that she said that there wasn't one at all." His voice faded away as he went on, the hope of his clan falling out of his eyes.

Littlecloud's eyes widened in dismay. "There _has_ to be a cure! There's always a cure! It doesn't always work, but there is always a cure!"

"There may very well be one, but we have not found it yet, and we'll need it now."

Littlecloud stared back at the medicine cat in horror; it sounded as if he was giving up on the entire clan, and without their medicine cat behind them, how could Shadowclan expect to survive an outbreak of a disease?

…

Three days later, the clan wasn't looking good.

The queens had been moved away from the rest of the clan as soon as the risk of disease had been discovered, and their kits had gone with them. However, somehow his nephew, Boulderkit, still managed to catch the disease, and he was immediately moved into the camp with the rest of the sick cats.

Wetfoot and Oakpaw were the first two to fall ill because they had actually touched the rat that carried the disease, and they had only gotten worse over time. Two of the elders, Archeye and Poolcloud had died of the carrionplace disease very early on, and Brownpaw hadn't been able to fight the illness in his condition, so he had died too.

Brownpaw's death had hit Littlecloud hard, and he had kept vigil for his brother despite the advice of the rest of the clan. Because of his grieving, he had caught the disease from his brother in the middle of the night, and he was now staying with the rest of the sick cats in the camp. Wetfoot, Ashfur, Featherstorm, Boulderkit, and Whitethroat had all fallen extremely ill as well, and many of the other members of the clan were starting to show symptoms as well, and even Runningnose seemed at a loss as to what he could possibly do. The clan's only solution to the problem was to separate the sick cats from the healthy ones, and even that wasn't stopping the disease from spreading.

Littlecloud had no idea how the clan was supposed to attend the gathering that night with everything happening in the camp, but Nightstar insisted that they appear strong in front of the other clans, so he called together all of the relatively healthy cats and led them out of the clan at moonrise.

Littlecloud was left in camp with the other more sick cats, but he tried to make himself useful by fetching the cats who were sicker than him freshkill and moss soaked in water. It probably wasn't best for his health to be moving around, but he didn't care. He had to help his clan, and that was all that mattered.

…

The clan didn't look good when they returned from the gathering; the journey had exhausted most of the cats, and some seemed to have contracted the disease just over the course of the journey to fourtrees, Cinderfur and Nightstar included.

Runningnose instantly separated Nightstar from the rest of the cats in the leader's den and disappeared inside; he didn't come back out.

The other warriors tried to get him to come out of the den, especially when Cinderfur died and then Boulderkit, but Runningnose refused to leave the leader's side. Littlecloud found it odd that Runningnose was spending all of his time with Nightstar who had plenty of lives to spare instead of the cats who only had one to lose.

Dawncloud's agonized wailing was hurting him more than anything. Her first litter of kits, and one was already dead. Littlecloud wanted more than anything to make her pain go away.

"We're all going to die."

Littlecloud turned around at the soft whispering that he heard towards the back of the medicine cat's den. Only one cat was closer to the back of the cave than him: Whitethroat.

"Runningnose is going to let us all die."

His murmuring was soft, but Littlecloud could still make out the panic in his voice when he said it.

"There's no hope left for us. It's too late; there's no cure."

"Stop it!"

Littlecloud's sharp hiss snapped Whitethroat out of his soft mumbling, and he looked up at the tabby tom in shock, but he didn't really see him; his eyes were too wild to see anything.

"We're not going to die," he whispered, ignoring the other eyes from farther towards the front of the den that stared at him curiously. "Runningnose won't let us die."

But, the hope died by the morning when Wetfoot and Featherstorm had been discovered dead in their nests without even getting to see the first light of dawn.

…

"I told you!" Whitethroat wailed when the two of them had gone out of camp to try to gather some wet moss for the sick cats. All of the cats affected by the disease had long since lost the ability to eat anything without immediately throwing it back up, so water was the only thing anyone in the clan needed anymore, water, and a cure for their disease.

Littlecloud and Whitethroat wandered dangerously close to the Thunderclan border, but yet neither of them made a move to turn back. When they finally reached the Thunderpath they only stopped and stared across it, neither of them willing to make a move in either direction.

"What should we do?" Whitethroat mewed softly, glancing wistfully over the Thunderpath. "Do you think they will help us? Should we even ask?"

Whitethroat was able to mimic Littlecloud's own thoughts exactly; he too was wondering why his paws had led him here and what they should do about their sickness. What if Thunderclan knew of a cure, and even if they didn't, Yellowfang may have been able to offer some advice on what to do, but he was still unsure.

"What do you think, Whitethroat?" he asked softly, not trusting himself with such an important decision.

"I think we should try," the black and white tom murmured softly. "At least see what they know."

Littlecloud nodded his agreement. They had to do something, and if begging for help was the only way to save Shadowclan then so be it.

The two toms ducked into a tunnel that had been discover a couple moons ago and used it to cross underneath the Thunderpath. Immediately after the two cats appeared on the other side, they felt completely overwhelmed by all of the forest scents and the looming maple trees that overlooked them.

The two cats planned to make it to Thunderclan camp right away and talk to them as soon as possible, but they quickly realized that they were too exhausted to go any further.

Before either of them knew it, they were curled up together under a bush, deciding that they could easily talk to them after they had rested for a couple hours. What they never planned for, but probably would have if their minds weren't so contaminated with other, darker thoughts, was the prospect of Thunderclan cats finding them when they were asleep.

…


	13. Chapter 11

"Wake up!"

Littlecloud jolted out of his light slumber at the sharp hiss of another cat who had to be only inches away from his face. He blinked rapidly, trying to clear his vision, but he instantly regretted it when he saw the four large, angry Thunderclan warriors that where glowering down at him. The one that had hissed at him, a light ginger she-cat, looked furious to have enemy warriors in her territory, understandably, but how did she expect them to answer her questions when she was breathing down their necks?

"Who are you?" she growled. "Why are you here? Is this some sort of invasion?"

With every question Littlecloud just got more and more dizzy, and by the end of her short interrogation, everything had gone fuzzy, but he refused to lose consciousness.

"Please!" he heard Whitethroat beg from next to him. "Please take us to your camp!" He sounded as if he wanted to go on, but he couldn't even begin his next sentence before a series of violent coughs ravaged his throat.

Littlecloud nodded pleadingly, even though his vision was still incredibly blurry. He could only assume Whitethroat's was too.

"You want us to take you to our camp?" a tom questioned from behind her. "What kind of invaders are you?"

"We're not invaders!" Littlecloud choked out among the murmurs of agreement from the other Thunderclan cats. "We need your help! Please!" Why couldn't these cats understand that they posed no threat to them? They were obviously to sick and weak to stand up straight, let alone attack the entire camp on their own.

"I think we should hear what they have to say," murmured an older voice from behind all of the other cats. Littlecloud's vision cleared just as a large, white tom pushed his way through the rest of the warriors to get a good look at the Shadowclan cats. "They are no threat to us," he decided quickly. "Let them explain themselves to Bluestar and then we will decide what needs to be done."

The large white tom motioned with his tail of the Shadowclan cats to follow them, and he sent the rest of the patrol ahead to inform their clan of what was going on. Littlecloud watched the three other cats disappear into the forest before he and Whitethroat followed the white tom into the trees.

The three cats moved silently through the forest, and Littlecloud tried to take everything in. The soft forest ground felt good under his paws, and he had a strange desire to run as fast as he could through the trees and bushes, but he felt like any physical exertion would kill him in his present state, so he held back his urge.

When they finally reached the camp, every Thunderclan cat was already outside of their dens, waiting for them. Everyone, that is, except for their leader. However, Fireheart, the new deputy, was awake and willing to take charge.

"Did they put up a fight when you found them?" Fireheart asked the large white tom who had been leading the dawn patrol.

He shook his head. "No," he answered, flicking his tail. "When we woke them up, they begged us to bring them here."

Fireheart looked shocked. "Begged you? Why would they do that?"

Littlecloud wanted to answer, but the cold stares held him back.

"Where are the Shadowclan warriors?"

A sharp demand from above the other cats jerked Littlecloud out of his thoughts. Bluestar leaped down from the highrock and pushed her was through the other cats so she stood next to Fireheart in front of the Shadowclan cats. Her face was twisted in rage, and Littlecloud shrunk down a little in fear. This couldn't be the same leader that he had thought was so noble only moons ago, could it?

"Is this another attack?" she hissed viciously in the Shadowclan cats' faces. Littlecloud shrank away; was she going to kill them?

"Whitestorm found them on patrol," Fireheart cut in, saving the two Shadowclan cats from having to answer. "They were sleeping on Thunderclan territory."

"Sleeping?" she growled. "Well, have we been invaded or not?"

"These were the only warriors we found," Whitestorm told her gently.

"Are you sure? It could be a trap."

Littlecloud tried to tell them that they were, in fact, the only ones in Thunderclan territory, as far as they knew, but before he got the chance Fireheart sent six cats out to search the territory for more Shadowclan warriors.

He turned back to the Shadowclan cats slowly. "What are you doing in Thunderclan territory?" Fireheart demanded. "Littlecloud, why are you here?"

Littlecloud flinched when Fireheart directly addressed him; he had been hoping that Whitethroat could do most of the talking. He stared up at the much larger tom, and at first he couldn't force the words to come out, but eventually he forced them out of his mouth.

"W-Whitethroat and I came here h-hoping you'd give us food and healing herbs," he stammered uncertainly. As soon as he said it he realized how stupid and despite it sounded, and he cringed even before the Thunderclan cats responded. They hissed at him in disbelief, and he shrunk even farther to the ground. Everyone looked either shocked or furious, except for one cat who was moving quietly to the front of the group. Her deep blue eyes cut through the crowd with compassion instead of hate.

"Fireheart, wait."

Littlecloud relaxed a bit when she spoke; her voice was soft and rich, and it soothed him.

"These cats are no threat to us," she mewed quietly. "They are sick."

To Littlecloud's surprise, the gray she-cat padded over to him and pressed her nose lightly to his paw. He felt a rush of heat when she touched him and couldn't help but wonder if she felt the same thing, but she gave no sign of it.

"His pad is warm," she noted softly. "He has a fever."

She moved away, and Littlecloud instantly felt empty inside. He wanted to feel her warmth again.

"No, Cinderpelt! Get away from them!" a new voice screeched from nearby; Yellowfang had forced her way through the crowd.

_Cinderpelt…_ Her name was the only coherent thought he could get out.

She whipped around. "Why? These cats are sick. We must help them!" She looked pleadingly at her clanmates, but no one else seemed willing to help the Shadowclan cats. The discussion of whether or not to let the Shadowclan cats stay to be healed wasn't debated long before they were both ordered to leave. Cinderpelt fought the hardest to let them stay, but eventually Yellowfang and the rest of the clan shot her pleas down, and she was forced to obey her leader's wishes.

Fireheart and Sandstorm, the ginger she-cat who had found Littlecloud and Whitethroat sleeping, escorted them to the border between the two clans.

"I know you don't want our help," Sandstorm meowed simply, "but we'll see you across the Thunderpath." Fireheart nodded in agreement, but Littlecloud had to refuse.

"We'll cross alone," he insisted. "Just leave us here."

They had to keep the tunnel under the Thunderpath a secret for Shadowclan, that, at least, they could do.

"Okay," Fireheart agreed after a bit of hesitation. Sandstorm flashed him a questioning glance, but he just flicked his tail at her.

Littlecloud and Whitethroat nodded their thanks and together they disappeared into the bushes. They moved side by side in silence, taking a roundabout way to the tunnel so that if their scent was picked up later the Thunderclan cats wouldn't find it.

Both of the toms hesitated when they first reached the tunnel, not wanting to give up the only hope for Shadowclan. Eventually, Littlecloud had to make a move forward or back, and he choose the former. He motioned for Whitethroat to follow him and disappeared into the tunnel.

…

The bright light hurt Littlecloud's eyes when he first emerged, but he didn't notice it for long. He heard a voice shout to him from across the Thunderpath, and he stopped short as soon as he heard it. He knew that voice.

_Cinderpelt!_

He whipped around and she shouted again.

"Wait!" she shouted. "Come back; I'll help you!"

The beautiful she-cat stared back at him with her deep blue eyes, and for the first time since the disease broke out he felt hopeful.

…


	14. Chapter 12

Littlecloud yawned and sat up, shaking out his fur and stepping out into the sunshine. He blinked the bright sunshine out of his eyes and looked around. Nope, still not a dream. He was still in the clearing near the corner of Thunderclan and Riverclan territory, and Whitethroat was still there with him.

Cinderpelt had brought them to this place. She said that members of her clan hardly ever came to this area and that they should be safe there. Littlecloud could only smile when he thought about everything that Cinderpelt had done for them. She was trying to heal them, and, to everyone's surprise, it was working.

They weren't anywhere near healed yet, but still, it was helping, and all _three_ of the cats seemed to be getting more energetic and healthy. Littlecloud and Whitethroat weren't the only two cats being healed by Cinderpelt's treatment; she was being helped too. She was becoming more and more confident every day, and every time he saw her she appeared brighter and livelier. It made Littlecloud happy to see her smile.

"Hello? Are you two awake?" Cinderpelt limped out from behind a bush and slowly made her way over to the other side of the clearing.

"I'm up!" Littlecloud called back, stepping into view. "Whitethroat's still asleep, though."

"That's alright," she commented happily. "Let him sleep. I'll leave this new batch of herbs by the den, and I'll be right back with the rest of them. Remember to stay out of sight; I'll be right back."

"Okay," Littlecloud nodded. He disappeared back into the den to wait for the medicine cat to return, but she wasn't the one who appeared when he heard footsteps outside the den. He poked his head out, but immediately pulled it back when he caught a glimpse of dark ginger fur outside the den.

"Whitethroat, wake up!" he whispered desperately, nudging the black and white warrior out of his sleep.

"Huh?" the tom blinked wearily up at his denmate, but he immediately woke up the rest of the way when he saw the panic in his friend's eyes. "W-What's going on?" he stammered, trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes.

"Fireheart's outside of the den," Littlecloud mewed urgently. "I don't think he's seen us but soon…" He let his words fade away, but even the dead silence didn't stop Fireheart from picking up their scent.

"Why have you come back?" he hissed, poking his head into the den. "Go home, before you infect every clan in the forest!" His teeth were bared and snarling, and he didn't look anything like his normal, kind self. Littlecloud was actually a little scared of him at the moment.

"Fireheart, stop!" Cinderpelt shouted from behind him, suddenly appearing with a bundle of herbs. "Leave them alone!"

"Cinderpelt!" he yowled in surprise. "What are you doing here? Did you know about this?"

"They needed my help," she told him defiantly. "There was nothing for them in their camp but sickness."

Littlecloud felt a rush of warmth for the dark gray she-cat; she wasn't going to let Fireheart drive them away without a fight.

"So they came straight back!" Fireheart growled. "Where did you find them?"

Littlecloud blinked at her. They hadn't come back; she had told them to come back so she could heal them, but Littlecloud and Whitethroat told her that if anyone found them that she should tell them that they had come back themselves. The tabby tom begged her with his eyes to remember what they had told her.

"Near Sunningrocks," she answered without hesitation. "I smelled their sickness when I was out collecting herbs yesterday. They were looking for a safe place to hide." Littlecloud was surprised at how easily the lie flowed out of the young she-cat's mouth, but she didn't even seem to notice that she had done something surprising to him.

"And you brought them here," Fireheart snorted. "They probably only came back onto our land because they knew you'd take pity on them. Did you think you could treat them without any cat finding out?"

Littlecloud's eyes narrowed at Fireheart's comment. She was helping them! They were staying away from every other cat in the forest, and they weren't causing any harm to anyone. Why couldn't Fireheart just leave them alone?

"Don't pretend you're mad at me," she told him, still defiant. "You felt just as sorry for them. You couldn't have turned them away a second time either." Littlecloud was surprised at how well she seemed to know the ginger tom, but then he remembered that he was her mentor before her injury, and the tightening in his stomach loosened.

The anger faded out of Fireheart's eyes. "Does Yellowfang know?"

"No, I don't think so."

"How sick are they?"

Cinderpelt cracked a smile. "They're starting to recover." She looked so proud of herself, and it made Littlecloud happy too.

"I still smell sickness," Fireheart questioned, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, they're not completely cured yet. But they will be." The determination in her eyes was the only thing that could have given Littlecloud the hope to fight back against the carrionplace disease, and he could tell that Whitethroat felt the same way. He felt like he had to show his appreciation as well.

"We're getting better," Littlecloud mewed softly, drawing the attention to him, "thanks to Cinderpelt."

Fireheart glanced over at the Shadowclan cats, and Littlecloud could tell that he was debating what he should do. What he thought was right and what he thought his clan would want him to do bounced back and forth in his head, but eventually he gave in to Cinderpelt's wishes. "They do sound better," he admitted finally. "How did you do it? Yellowfang seemed to think this sickness was deadly."

"I must have found the right combination of herbs and berries," she replied happily, her eyes bright and alive.

Fireheart still kind of wanted them to leave, but he agreed with Cinderpelt that the Shadowclan cats couldn't leave until they were healed, so he brought them some fresh kill, and left after he and Cinderpelt had talked about something in private. Littlecloud watched him go, wondering what he would end up doing in the end. At least he could be sure of what Cinderpelt was going to do.

"Here," she ordered kindly, pushing a bundle of herbs in front of both of the Shadowclan cats. "I added a few new herbs to this batch today, so hopefully they'll work even better than the last time." She watched as the two toms obediently ate the herbs that were sitting in front of them, smiling at how much more energetic they looked then when she first saw them.

"I'll have to head home soon," she told them quietly after standing up and shaking out her fur. "Yellowfang has a lot planned for me today, and she's been starting to notice how often that I'm gone."

She turned around and disappeared into the trees while Littlecloud and Whitethroat watched her go. Littlecloud wished she could stay with them longer, but he knew that she had work to do in Thunderclan and that she would stay longer if she could. At least, he thought she would want to stay with them as long as she could; he certainly felt that way about her.

He felt heat rise to his cheeks as he thought about everything the Thunderclan medicine cat had done for them. He hoped with all his heart that she wouldn't get into trouble with her clan if they found out about her kindness to them. After all, if she succeeded in finding a cure for their disease she may save all of Shadowclan, not just them.

Littlecloud cringed as he thought of his own clan. How many more of them had died from the carrionplace disease while he and Whitethroat had been gone? He knew that he had to get back to them as soon as he was fully healed. Maybe he could even remember the mixture and use it to heal the rest of the clan. He was amazed at how hopeful he had become recently, at how hopeful Cinderpelt had made him.

…

I t only took a few more days before the herb mixture had completely healed both Littlecloud and Whitethroat. Both of them became experts at making it in no time at all, with Cinderpelt's help of course. She told them that they should head back to their own clan so they could help their clanmates heal as well, but the two Shadowclan warriors knew this already.

Before they left for home, Littlecloud made sure to tell Cinderpelt just how much he appreciated what she had sacrificed for them.

"You could have caught the sickness at any time, but yet you refused to leave us to face it alone," he told her gratefully, locking his own light blue eyes with her darker ones. "You not only saved us, but all of Shadowclan. We will survive because of you, and we will never forget what you have done for us."

He tried to convey all of the truth in his words through his eyes, and he was almost certain that the young she-cat believed him. Her eyes shone back with pride for what she had done, and he knew that she would never forget their time together either.

He brushed his tail lightly over her cheek, before turning and bounding after Whitethroat his face hot with embarrassment. The black and white tom's whiskers twitched with amusement, and together the two cats vanished into the undergrowth.

…


	15. Chapter 13

Littlecloud and Whitethroat hesitated just on the edge of Shadowclan territory. Whitethroat was shaking with fear, and Littlecloud blinked over at him, surprised at how much his attitude had changed during the short run from their hiding place in Thunderclan territory to here.

"I can smell the sickness even this far from camp," he mewed fearfully, taking a step back from the border. "W-What if the herbs don't work this time, and we just end up getting sick again? We won't be able to get Cinderpelt's help again if that happens. We'll all just die." The fear-scent coming off of the young warrior was overwhelming, but Littlecloud couldn't understand his friend's fears.

"Why shouldn't the healing herbs work?" he asked skeptically. "They worked on us, so there's no reason to assume that they won't work on the rest of the clan." He took a step forward into their territory, but Whitethroat didn't move.

"I can't go back," he murmured, turning away. "You'll have to go without me."

Littlecloud opened his mouth to protest, but he could tell that his friend's mind was made up. "I'll come back and find you once the sickness is gone," he promised, moving closer to touch his nose to Whitethroat's flank. "Just stay in this area for a few days, and soon the clan will be free of sickness, you'll see."

He moved away, casting one last regretful glance at his clanmate before he headed back towards his camp at a full sprint.

He moved through the marshes comfortably, loving the softness of the earth under his paws that had been so hard to find in Thunderclan territory. Littlecloud ran as fast as he could, terrified at the thought of who else had already died of the sickness, but also too terrified to waste a moment of time that could be spent saving them walking back to camp.

He only stopped one time on his way, just outside the entrance to the camp. He breathed in deeply; the scent of the carrionplace disease was everywhere, but there was still life in the camp. He let all of his fears overwhelm him for a moment more before pushing all of them aside and heading into the camp.

…

At first glance, the camp looked deserted. There were no cats outside of any of the dens, and for a moment Littlecloud actually believed that the clan had moved away from all of the sickness in order to try to save themselves, but after only a few seconds of waiting, a cat emerged from the leader's den and collapsed outside.

Littlecloud bounded up to the tom instantly, but he immediately recoiled at the sight of how destroyed Runningnose looked. The medicine cat didn't look like he had eaten in days, and his eyes were glazed over with sadness and shock.

The young tabby tom immediately ran into the medicine cat's den and began searching the walls for thyme leaves. Cinderpelt had told them about many herbs that weren't in her mixture that they might need to help their clan, and thyme leaves for shock was at the top of that list.

He found a few healthier looking leaves and grabbed them before heading out of the den, purposely keeping his eyes off of the sick cats who were still lying in the den. He kept his eyes focused forward as he raced up to Runningnose and forced the medicine cat to swallow the herbs.

"Come on, Runningnose," he begged. "I need you to stay with me."

The gray and white tom's eyes refocused slightly, and he looked up at Littlecloud in shock, sure that he was looking at a Starclan cat from the way his fur glissaded healthily unlike anything the medicine cat had seen for moons. When his eyes finally refocused all the way, his shock didn't die out, it only grew stronger.

"L-Littlecloud!" he stammered, stunned. "I thought you were dead! Is Whitethroat with you? Are you both alright?" The sudden excitement seemed to have exhausted the medicine cat, but he refused to fall unconscious until he knew what had happened to the two missing warriors.

"Whitethroat's fine, but he's worried about catching the sickness again, so he didn't come back with me," Littlecloud answered quickly while he checked the medicine cat for any signs of the sickness on him. Remarkably, Runningnose hadn't caught the foul disease, but maybe it was because he had been around sick cats for as long as he was alive, so he had grown a resistance to it.

"Again?" Runningnose questioned, sitting up. All of his exhaustion had left him because of his focus on the young tom's story. "You mean he doesn't have it anymore?"

"No," Littlecloud mewed, shaking his head. "Neither of us does." He paused, debating how much to tell the older tom, but decided that it would be easier to just tell him everything. He would accept any punishment they gave him for going to another clan for help right after his clan was healthy again. "We went to Thunderclan for help, since Yellowfang's there, but they told us to go back. The apprentice medicine cat, Cinderpelt told us to come back after we crossed the Thunderpath, and she cared for us. She tried every herb mixture she could think of, and eventually she found the cure. She taught Whitethroat and I how to make it, so we could heal our clan. We just left this morning."

Runningnose stared at him for a few moments, stunned at the story of their time away from camp, but instead of asking him about why the two young warriors had gone to Thunderclan for help, he focused his thoughts on what really mattered. "You've found a cure?" he asked, too stunned to fully accept the news.

Littlecloud nodded. "Cinderpelt did."

Runningnose stood up shakily, determination in his exhausted eyes. "Then let's get to work."

…

The two toms worked until sunrise the next day, switching between giving the herbs to the sick cats and mixing new batches to give to the next group. Every cat was grateful that they had their medicine cat back, but a few still gave him dirty looks because they hated him for abandoning them for nearly half a moon to care for Nightstar, who had ended up dying despite Runningnose's desperate efforts to save him.

In the time Littlecloud had been gone, Nightstar wasn't the only cat to die of the carrionplace disease. Stumpytail, Brightflower, Ashfur, Amberleaf, and Flintfang had all died while the two young warriors had been gone, and Littlecloud couldn't help but feel guilty that he had taken so long to get back. He probably could have managed the journey sooner, but he didn't want to have to stop seeing Cinderpelt until the last possible day, so he had put off coming back. He cursed himself for his selfishness; he might have been able to save them if he had come back sooner.

Miraculously, Oakpaw had managed to survive the disease all this time even though he had been one of the first ones to fall victim to it; he was the first cat they treated. Littlecloud was determined not to let any other cat die, and, with the help of Runningnose, he succeeded.

…

It took the clan awhile to get back on their feet, but even then it was hard. They had lost so many warriors to the brutal disease, and none of the elders survived. Mousewing and Newtspeck had moved to the elders den a couple of days ago, too exhausted from fighting away the disease to continue their warrior duties.

Rowanberry had taken over Nightpaw's training for Flintfang, and Nutwhisker had become Oakpaw's mentor after Wetfoot had died from the disease fairly early on. Fernshade was still there to finish off Darkpaw's training, but the apprentice seemed less energetic nowadays, knowing that her mentor was the only one to survive the disease. All three of them were almost ready for their warrior names, but the clan didn't have time to train them since every cat's time was either spent healing, being healed, hunting, or trying to patrol their weak border markings that had only been kept safe because of the other clans' fear of the Shadowclan sickness.

The clan still did not have a leader or deputy, since no cat was willing to fill that important of a role in the clan after such a disaster, but a leader was what the clan needed most.

A few days later, just three sunrises before the next gathering when Shadowclan would have to choose a new leader, the answer came to them in the form of an omen.

Littlecloud had been sitting vigil for Whitethroat, who they had found earlier that same day along the Thunderpath, alone when Runningnose exploded out of the medicine cat's den, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and exhilaration.

"I've just received an omen from Starclan!" he announced, drawing the rest of their painfully small clan out of their dens. "There was a huge tiger, running through the forest, and Shadowclan was following him through the trees." He panted, trying to catch his breath while the clan waited for him to continue anxiously. "The clan was stronger, healthier, larger, and much more formidable, and the other clans respected us again. I believe this is the cat who is destined to be our new leader, the cat who represents a tiger."

Runningnose finished his speech with an exhausted gasp and a few weak coughs, but he refused to let his exhaustion show for long. He glanced around at his clanmates, willing them to be the tiger in his dream, but none of them had the confidence or power that the cat in his dream had shown.

"You're quite right, Runningnose," a voice meowed darkly from the shadows. "I will be the leader that you have been wanting for so long."

A dark tabby tom with huge front paws stepped out of the shadows surrounding the Shadowclan camp followed by five other cats who all looked large and powerful compared to the weakened Shadowclan cats.

Gasps of shock rang out from every corner of the clan as the cats recognized Blackfoot, Russetfur, and Boulder, three of the warriors who had left the camp with Brokenstar when he was driven out of the camp many seasons ago. All three of them looked older, but no less powerful than they had been when they had lived in Shadowclan as some of the highest ranked warriors under Brokenstar's leadership.

But the cat who surprised everyone the most was the dark tabby tom who had been leading the rouges. Everyone had assumed that he was dead after Fireheart was named the new deputy of Thunderclan, but they had been so cryptic about it that no one had been completely sure. Now, it seemed that Tigerclaw had left for completely different reasons than the ones everyone had guessed at because now, standing proudly for every Shadowclan cat to see, was Tigerclaw, the former deputy of Thunderclan.

…


	16. Chapter 14

The clan stared at Tigerclaw in shock, trying to register what he had said. Was he really the cat Starclan intended to be their leader? He was from another clan! Plus, he had brought three of Brokenstar's former allies along with him, not to mention the two other rouges that seemed to have joined their party at some point along the way.

Shadowclan, and the three former members of the clan regarded each other with wariness and confusion, but Russetfur didn't seem concerned with any of that. She was searching the clan for three young faces who she thought that she'd never see again. Once she spotted them the wasted no time in bonding over to them ignoring the gasps of shock from her former clanmates.

She stopped in front of the three apprentices, her eyes bright and happy at the sight of her kits.

"W-Who are you?" Oakpaw stammered, backing away from the ginger she-cat with his siblings.

"I'm Russetfur," she answered, with a twinge of hurt in her voice. "I'm your mother."

"No you're not," Nightpaw mewed with conviction. "Amberleaf's our mother; she raised us from when we were just little kits."

Her siblings nodded with her, and she took a step back, her eyes wide with sadness and guilt. "B-But I…" She had no idea how to make her choice to leave her kits okay with them, but she never got the chance.

"You left them, Russetfur," Fernshade hissed from the warriors den. "Of course they don't remember you as their mother; you were never a mother to them."

The ginger she-cat looked stunned, and she retreated back to the other loners with her tail dragging in the dirt. She sure didn't look like a queen who would abandon her kits without a thought, but yet she had.

Littlecloud turned his attention back to Tigerclaw, who seemed to be doing a good job of convincing Shadowclan that he would make a better leader for them than any other cat in the clan.

He told them that he would make Shadowclan strong again, and his confidence, along with Runningnose's omen of a tiger leading the clan, was enough to get the weakened clan behind such a strong cat.

"And you plan to bring those rouges back with you?" Mousewing questioned from the elders den across the clearing. His expression was uncertain, but he too was willing to give the formidable tom a chance to prove his worth to Shadowclan.

Tigerclaw nodded. "These cats are all worthy members of your clan, and, by the looks of things, you could use some strong warriors to help with hunting and fighting.

"The last thing we need right now is fighting," Littlecloud challenged from his position at the center of the clearing. He was surprised at his confidence, but he still had to force himself not to shrink as everyone's gaze shifted over to him.

Tigerclaw narrowed his eyes at the young tom, but didn't make a move towards him. After a moment of awkward staring, Tigerclaw looked away from the young tom, regarding his words with an unconcerned shrug. "As I'm sure you know," he meowed, addressing all of the cats in the clearing, "fighting is never something a clan wants to happen, but like it or not it is a part of being a clan cat." He turned his attention back to Littlecloud. "Surely you can understand that." His amber gaze was challenging, but Littlecloud felt no fear of the large tom.

"I just don't want a leader who constantly leads us into unnecessary battles," he mewed dismissively, flicking his tail and turning away. "The last thing we need is another Brokenstar."

He disappeared into the medicine cat's den to avoid all of the stares his clanmates had been giving him. It had felt good to speak his mind, but he still didn't have the confidence to take the doubtful and accusing stares from the other cats in the clan.

He thought of Cinderpelt's easy confidence, and he wished that he could someday be capable of the same mixture of compassion and seriousness that made her the way she was. Littlecloud couldn't help but be excited for the next gathering when he would get to see her again. His pelt grew warmer just thinking about it.

…

Runningnose returned to the den later that night, and beckoned Littlecloud to sit with him at the edge of the den. The clearing was still lively with excitement, and every cat was talking about Tigerclaw and the rest of the rouges who had left the clan with a decision to make moments before. Would they accept Tigerclaw as their leader, or not?

"You were very brave to speak out against him," Runningnose told the young tabby with a gleam of appreciation in his eyes. "I was thinking the same thing, but you beat me to it. You sure have gotten more confident in the last moon."

Littlecloud dipped his head in embarrassment. "T-Thank you, Runningnose, but I'm not all that brave," he tried to tell the medicine cat, his ears hot with embarrassment. "I fled as soon as I had said what I felt; I couldn't even stay to handle Tigerclaw's response to my challenge."

"Still," Runningnose assured him. "You told him what you felt in your heart, and that is something not many cats will do under those circumstances. Despite what you may think, you were brave."

Littlecloud smiled, his head still bowed. It felt good to have Runningnose praise him, and it gave him even more confidence to use next time.

"I've been meaning to ask you these last few days," Runningnose continued, drawing Littlecloud's eyes back to him. "Have you been thinking about becoming a medicine cat? You worked so well with the other cats when you were healing them, and you don't seem to like fighting at all anymore, even when it's necessary, so I thought maybe…" Runningnose let his words die out, and he looked over at the young tom expectantly, but there were no answers in Littlecloud's eyes.

He had been so sure before that he didn't want to be a medicine cat because he wanted to have kits someday, but now he wasn't as sure. His eyes flicked over to Dawncloud, but he was surprised when the familiar rush of warmth didn't wash over him. He blinked; he still cared for her, didn't he?

He thought he did, but the usually hot embarrassment didn't come over him like it used to ever time he looked at the pretty she-cat. _Pretty?_ He knew that he had just described the she-cat that he thought he loved with a word that didn't even seem to compare with the word beautiful, which always entered his mind when he thought of Cinderpelt.

He blinked, frightened of what he had just thought. Had he really fallen for Cinderpelt? The heat that rushed to his face practically confirmed it, but he couldn't fall in love with Cinderpelt. She was a Thunderclan cat, and a medicine cat as well, there was no way he could love someone who he could never be with, that was too cruel!

He shook off all of his shocked feelings when he realized Runningnose was still waiting for his answer. "I-I don't know," he stammered, trying to get the dark gray she-cat out of his head so he could think properly. "I've thought about it a few times, but I don't know if I could…" he let his words die out and looked away from the medicine cat uncertainly.

"But you'll think about it, won't you?" Runningnose asked, the desire for an apprentice of his own evident in the gray and white tom's amber eyes.

Littlecloud nodded, grateful that the medicine cat had given him some time to think. He definitely couldn't make any decisions until he sorted out his thoughts.

"Thank you," Runningnose mewed gratefully, turning and disappearing into his den. Littlecloud followed his lead and headed over to the warriors den to get a bit of sleep before morning patrols started. He would help to bury Whitethroat in the morning.

…

Moments after the clan had laid Whitethroat to rest, Tigerclaw and his group of rouges appeared at the entrance to the camp.

"Have you made your decision?" Tigerstar asked bluntly, ignoring formalities and getting straight to the point of his visit. "I believe I gave each of you plenty of time to discuss my offer."

He waited in silence as the Shadowclan cats exchanged wary glances, none of them wanting to be the one to step forward. Finally, Mousewing, the oldest cat in the clan, moved forward to address Tigerclaw.

"We have decided to accept your offer, Tigerclaw," he mewed plainly, no noticeable excitement or wariness in his voice. "We hope that you will make Shadowclan strong again like you promised, and that you will remember the mistakes that the Shadowclan leaders before you made and learn from them." He dipped his head to Tigerclaw, acknowledging him as the new leader of Shadowclan.

After a moment of hesitation, the rest of the clan followed, each dipping their head to Tigerclaw until the entire clan had acknowledged his new leadership.

"Thank you," he yowled loudly so everyone could hear, his arrogance and pride glittering his eyes. "Together we will make Shadowclan strong again! We will never be the weakest clan or the most desperate! Under me we will always, always be the strongest!"

…


	17. Chapter 15

Longing. Unwavering, unquestioned longing for one she-cat, one dark gray Thunderclan she-cat who had changed Littlecloud's life in so many ways it was incredible.

Cinderpelt hadn't been at the gathering, and all Littlecloud could think about the entire time Tigerstar was talking was how much he wanted, no, needed, to see her again. She consumed all his thoughts and influenced all of his actions, and it was driving him mad.

They could never be together, so why would Starclan torture him with his feelings for her? She was a medicine cat from a different clan for Starclan's sake! Even thinking of her fondly was against the warrior code, but he couldn't get her out of his head, and there was no right way to make things the way they were before he had met her.

After the gathering he had curled up in his nest without a word to anyone and fallen asleep. The very next morning he went to talk to Runningnose.

"Runningnose," he called out, locating the medicine cat who was currently organizing his stores with a methodic blankness that probably was a direct result of the news of Yellowfang's death that Fireheart had announced at the gathering the night before. She had been his mentor, and he was more stung by the loss than any other member of the clan, even Rowanberry and Nutwhisker, Yellowfang's siblings.

The medicine cat glanced up from his work, but his eyes didn't focus completely on the young tabby tom standing in the entryway. "Littlecloud," he mewed distractedly. "What is it?"

"I've made my decision," he mewed firmly, jolting Runningnose out of his daze. "I want to be a medicine cat." He had thought all night about the best way to deal with his feelings for Cinderpelt, and he decided right away that he had to be able to see her on a regular basis, which he would be able to do every halfmoon as a medicine cat. He also wanted to be able to be friendly with her, which he could also do as a medicine cat because of their separation from clan rivalry and their connection to each other.

He knew that being a medicine cat meant that he could never have kits like he wanted, but he couldn't imagine being with anyone other than Cinderpelt, and that couldn't happen whether he was a medicine cat or not.

His mind was made up; he would be a medicine cat because that was the best way he could serve his clanmates and get to be friends with Cinderpelt. He had a feeling that it would never be enough, but he couldn't be anything else with her without causing both of them immense grief and suffering.

Cinderpelt had told both him and Whitethroat what happened to Graystripe and Silverstream, and he couldn't imagine ever causing something like that to happen to Cinderpelt. His feelings were his problem, and he had to be the one to deal with them.

Runningnose blinked at him in shock, the life returning to his eyes at the prospect of having an apprentice of his own. "Are you sure?" he asked, not willing to be truly happy until he knew that Littlecloud wasn't going to change his mind again in a couple of days.

Littlecloud nodded firmly, and Runningnose allowed joy to flood into his body. He pressed his nose to Littlecloud's, and murmured quietly into his ear, "You'll make a great apprentice." He stepped back, looking over the young tom with a gleam of pride. "I'm going to let Tigerstar know, so he can announce it to the clan."

The medicine cat darted out of the den straight to the leader's den not even pausing to greet the dawn patrol that had just returned moments ago. Blackfoot was organizing hunting patrols for later, but he stopped when Tigerstar emerged from his den, followed closely by Runningnose.

The gray and white tom hurried down to sit in front of the Clanrock as Tigerstar called all of the clan together, motioning to Dawncloud to fetch her kits as well. Littlecloud was startled at how well groomed they looked until he realized that it must be time for their apprentice ceremony. Nightpaw, Darkpaw, and Oakpaw were all also nicely groomed, and they sat near the front of the Clanrock, their bodies rigid with excitement for what could only be their warrior ceremony.

_Tigerstar sure got the clan back on their paws quickly,_ Littlecloud thought to himself as the clan settled down around him, all anxious for the naming ceremonies.

"Today is a great day for celebration," Tigerstar announced, drawing ever cat's attention to him. "We are ready to name two new apprentices and three new warriors, as well as a new apprentice medicine cat." Littlecloud felt most of the cats' eyes shift to him, and he began to clean his fun uncomfortably, trying to look as clean as the other five cats who were going to be named in the ceremony.

"First of all, our warriors," Tigerstar went on. "Nightpaw, Oakpaw, and Darkpaw, please step forward." The three apprentices did what he asked, stepping forward all three of them ready to receive their warrior names. "I, Tigerstar, leader of Shadowclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these three apprentices. They have worked hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." Tigerstar glanced down at the apprentices, smiling at their excitement.

"Nightpaw, Darkpaw, Oakpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do," the three cats replied in unison without hesitation.

"Then by the powers of Starclan I give you your warrior names: Nightpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Nightwing. Starclan honors your swiftness and your intelligence and we welcome you as a full warrior of Shadowclan. Darkpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Darkflower. Starclan honors your cunningness and your strength and we welcome you as a full warrior of Shadowclan. Oakpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Oakfur. Starclan honors your bravery and your intelligence and we welcome you as a full warrior of Shadowclan."

After each naming, Tigerstar rested his muzzle on top of the newly named warrior's head and they each gave his shoulder a respectful lick and moved away.

"Nightwing! Darkflower! Oakfur! Nightwing! Darkflower! Oakfur!"

The clan cheered the new warriors' names enthusiastically, Russetfur more than anyone else. Ever since she had returned, the ginger she-cat had been trying to make up the lost time with her kits by going out on patrol with them whenever she could and finding the time to talk to them when she couldn't get on the same patrols as all three of them. They hadn't warmed up to her yet, but Littlecloud knew that Russetfur wasn't the type to give up that quickly.

Tigerstar flicked his tail for silence, and the excited murmuring died out instantly. "Next, we have two kits who are ready to become apprentices." Tigerstar motioned for the two kits to step forward, and they obeyed instantly, their eyes bright with excitement. "Rowankit, from this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Rowanpaw. Jaggedtooth, you are ready for your fist apprentice. I hope that you will pass on everything I have taught you about clan life to this apprentice."

The two cats touched noses before returning their gaze to the other kit waiting to be apprenticed.

"Cedarkit," Tigerstar continued, "from this day until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Cedarpaw. Russetfur, you are also ready for your first apprentice. I hope that you will pass on everything Fernshade has taught you to this young apprentice."

Russetfur and Cedarpaw touched noses just as Jaggedtooth and Rowanpaw had, but they both seemed more excited to be there than the other two cats had been.

"Rowanpaw! Cedarpaw! Rowanpaw! Cedarpaw!" the clan cheered as the two newly named apprentices ducked their heads in embarrassment and pride.

Tigerstar flicked his tail for silence once more, and Littlecloud straightened up, ready to be announced as Runningnose's newest apprentice, and he was going to get to hear the proper words this time as well!

"Littlecloud, you have served Shadowclan well as a warrior, but now you are going to take on a new role, as Runningnose's apprentice medicine cat. Is this what you want?"

"Yes," Littlecloud answered firmly, nodding his head certainly. There was not a doubt in his mind that this was the right thing, no, the only thing to do.

"Then Shadowclan now recognizes you as the medicine cat apprentice, may Starclan light your path." Tigerstar rested his head on Littlecloud's, and the tabby tom gave his leader a respectful lick on the shoulder.

"Littlecloud! Littlecloud!" the clan cheered. Newtspeck's voice rang out loudest of all, the pride in her only remaining son's new position echoing clearly in her voice. Littlecloud dipped his head, smiling, as the praises of his clanmates surrounded him and lifted his spirits.

It was official now; he was a medicine cat apprentice.

…


	18. Chapter 16

Littlecloud's pelt tingled with excitement and nervousness as he followed Runningnose through the marshes on their way to Fourtrees. It was time for the halfmoon meeting with the other medicine cats, and Littlecloud was dying to see Cinderpelt again.

He forced his fur to lay flat as he entered the clearing at the base of Fourtrees; it looked so much bigger without all of the cats moving around it, and Littlecloud couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed at how big this night was for him. He would get to see Cinderpelt for the first time since he had left Thunderclan territory, and he was going to be accepted by Starclan as a medicine cat apprentice and share dreams with them for the first time. Excited didn't even begin to describe what he was feeling.

Littlecloud glanced around the clearing and was surprised to find Cinderpelt already there along with Fireheart who seemed to have escorted her to Fourtrees for some reason. The small tabby followed Runningnose over to the two cats directly behind his mentor so he had a chance to calm his breathing before he greeted Cinderpelt.

"Hello, there!" Runningnose greeted as he stopped in front of the Thunderclan cats. "Well met, Cinderpelt. It's a good day to travel."

Littlecloud nodded his head to Fireheart in greeting, but he made sure to touch noses with Cinderpelt instead of simply greeting her formally. Even without his feelings for her, they were still bonded closer than that.

"It's good to see you on your paws again," she mewed happily, sending warmth shooting down Littlecloud's back and up to his tail tip.

"All thanks to you," he replied, letting all of his warmth fall into his voice. He straightened up, suddenly feeling proud of his new position. "I'm Runningnose's apprentice now," he mewed proudly, even though Cinderpelt must have already realized that, but her kind voice gave no sign of it when she gave him a soft purr of, "Congratulations!"

"And that's because of you too," he went on enthusiastically. He needed Cinderpelt to know just how much what she had done had influenced him to become a medicine cat, even if all the details weren't completely true. "When we were ill, you knew just what to do. And then you gave us healing herbs to take back to the clan-and they worked! I want to do more stuff like that."

Everything he said had been true, but they weren't he true reasons he had become Runningnose's apprentice, but no one could ever know those reasons. They would only serve to hurt him and Cinderpelt in the end.

"He has real talent," Runningnose mewed, and Littlecloud felt a rush of warmth for his new mentor. "And it took courage to come back to us with those herbs. I'm only sorry Whitethroat didn't come back with him."

"He didn't?" Fireheart asked curiously.

Littlecloud shook his head, feeling all of the sadness over the loss of his friend coming rushing back to him. "He wouldn't come back with me to camp," the tabby tom mewed softly. "He was scared of catching the sickness again, even though we had the healing herbs with us." Littlecloud paused, almost too distraught to go on, but he forced himself to finish the story. "We found his body beside the Thunderpath a few days later."

"I'm sorry," Fireheart mewed regretfully, but Littlecloud hardly hear him over the pounding in his ears as Cinderpelt pressed her muzzle to his flank comfortingly. He felt himself grow hot with embarrassment, but he forced it back down. Great Starclan, was it always going to be this difficult to be around her? He sure hoped not.

Cinderpelt motioned for him to sit down beside her while Fireheart and Runningnose talked, and Littlecloud didn't hesitate to listen to her.

"So, how are you liking your training?" she asked, her blue eyes bright and curious.

"It's great!" Littlecloud mewed happily, all of the awkward warmth comfortably repressed from view. "I spent quite a bit of time in Runningnose's den before, just helping out, so I already know a bunch of the herbs, and I'm working on getting the rest of them memorized now."

Cinderpelt nodded, motioning for the smaller tom to go on.

"We haven't had any serious problems since the carrionplace disease, but we'll be ready if anything happens," he mewed proudly, loving the warmth in Cinderpelt's blue eyes as she listened to him, but his confidence wavered slightly when a new thought crossed his mind. "What's it like to talk to Starclan?" he wondered aloud. Surely Cinderpelt could help ease his hesitation about talking to his warrior ancestors, even when Runningnose couldn't.

She blinked understandingly at him, and scooted a little closer to comfort him. "Don't worry," she mewed kindly, pressing her flank against his. "I was nervous my first time too, but it's really great to see cats that you never thought you'd get to talk to again, you know? On my first visit I got to meet Spottedleaf, the medicine cat before Yellowfang, and Rosetail, one of the elders who died when I was just a kit. The stories they have to tell and the wisdom they possess is incredible; you'll love it. I promise."

Cinderpelt's eyes were shining with excitement and pleasure, and instantly all of Littlecloud's doubts about his first meeting with Starclan faded away like they had been washed down a river, never to be seen again.

"That's the spirit!" she grinned, seeing Littlecloud relax. "Now all that's left is to head out." She glanced over at Fireheart and Runningnose who were still deep in conversation and let out a sigh of exasperation. She turned to Littlecloud and rolled her eyes. "Sorry about him," she mewed, her tone light and teasing. "Fireheart can be such a chatterbox when he wants to be. He won't stop unless I ask him." She grinned, and Littlecloud followed suit. She seemed to really enjoy picking on her former mentor, and Littlecloud sure found it amusing as well.

"Fireheart!" Cinderpelt yowled, gaining both her deputy's and Runningnose's attention. "Are you and Runningnose going to sit there gossiping all day like a couple of elders?" Her claws kneaded the ground impatiently, but her tone was light and playful.

"All right," Runningnose meowed, stretching out his old muscles and walking over to the other two medicine cats. "We've got all day, you know. Highstones isn't going anywhere." Littlecloud's mentor sounded tired, but his casual tone gave nothing away as to why.

Fireheart came with them up to the edge of Windclan territory, but Cinderpelt told him that she could manage fine from here, so, after Fireheart gave her ear a quick lick in farewell, the three medicine cats headed towards Highstones without the ginger warrior.

…

On the way to the moonstone Littlecloud couldn't help but notice how pleased she looked. She was smiling happily with her head ducked and her ears warm. Littlecloud couldn't understand why.

The two of them moved in silence side-by-side until Barkface and Mudfur joined them at the edge of Windclan territory, and Littlecloud had to go introduce himself to them.

"It's nice to see a new face among us," Barkface commented, bowing his head.

"It's nice to meet you, Littlecloud. I take it this is one of the Shadowclan cats you saved from the carrionplace disease?" He turned to Cinderpelt who nodded, finally breaking out of her daze.

Barkface and Mudfur went to walk beside Runningnose for the rest of the journey, and Littlecloud couldn't help chuckling with Cinderpelt at the older cats' extremely formal way of speaking.

"Barkface was right," Cinderpelt told him as they padded along behind the other cats. "It really is nice to see a new face around here, especially since you're not an old badger like the rest of these cats."

Littlecloud laughed. "Glad I could help," he chuckled happily. "Anything to keep you from having to talk about 'the olden days.'"

Cinderpelt nodded happily, giggling at their treatment of the older cats.

"Maybe if you listened to some of those stories, you'd know better than to poke fun at you seniors," Barkface chastised, turning around to face the two younger cats, but his eyes were shining.

"You know we mean it with love, Barkface," she smiled, causing the Windclan tom to chuckle as well. He turned back to his companions, who had been so deep in their own conversation that they hadn't even noticed the whole exchange. The three youngest medicine cats exchanged a glance, and together they all grinned.

…


	19. Chapter 17

It wasn't long until they reached Highstones, and it was incredible. Littlecloud had never made the required journey to Highstones when he was an apprentice because of Brokenstar's separation from all things Starclan, so when he finally got to see Mothermouth, it was breathtaking.

"Pretty amazing, huh?" Cinderpelt teased him, bumping into his side. "It's always impressive your first time."

Littlecloud nodded blankly, still in complete and total awe of the cliffs and tunnels in front of him.

"We'd better head in," Runningnose commented commandingly. "It's almost moonhigh." He walked calmly into Mothermouth, followed closely by Mudfur and Barkface. Cinderpelt padded after them, motioning for Littlecloud to follow her, and, after a brief moment of hesitation, he did.

It was pitch black in the cave; Littlecloud had only Cinderpelt's soft tail that was resting on his shoulder to lead him through the dark tunnel. "It's just a little farther now," she told him pleasantly as the cave began to narrow slightly. "The moonstone is really beautiful, just you wait."

Littlecloud noticed the light that was starting to filter into the cave as soon as it appeared because he could actually see Cinderpelt's tail that had gently led him through the caves up until now. The light grew steadily brighter as the five cats made their way towards the moonstone, until they finally reached the end of the tunnel where the cave opened up into a giant caver with a hole in the ceiling. The hole was the first thing to grab his attention because his eyes were drawn to the moonlight that was seeping from it. He followed the light down until his eyes came to rest on a large stone that glistened in the moonlight.

Littlecloud's eyes gaped at the way the moonlight seemed to dance off of the stone, and he didn't even shift his gaze away when he heard Cinderpelt giggling at his wonder. "It's amazing," he mewed in awe, studying the stone. He didn't look away until Runningnose called his name and beckoned him forward with a flick of his tail.

"As you all know," he began, addressing all of the medicine cats who had formed a circle around the moonstone. "Littlecloud has decided to be my apprentice, but he has yet to be fully recognized by Starclan." He turned to the small tabby and smiled at him encouragingly. "Littlecloud, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of Starclan as a medicine cat?"

"It is." Littlecloud was shaking, but he forced his voice to remain steady.

"Then come forward," Runningnose commanded, indicating for Littlecloud to sit in front of the moonstone. "Warriors of Starclan," he began, using the ceremonial words that had been passed down from medicine cat to medicine cat for uncountable generations. "I present you with this apprentice. He has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant him your wisdom and insight so that he may understand your ways and heal his Clan in accordance with your will."

Runningnose nodded to his new apprentice before bending down and touching his nose to the moonstone. He motioned with his tail for Littlecloud to do the same. The young tom wanted to hesitate at this huge moment in his life, but he forced himself to show no fear in front of the other medicine cats. He touched his nose to the moonstone, and immediately a freezing sensation washed over him and he descended into a dream.

…

When he opened his eyes he found himself in a clearing next to a shallow pool. Just at the edge of his line of vision he could see a dark, seemingly red tinted, forest where a pair of bright amber eyes seemed to blink out at him with a vicious menace. He quickly darted his eyes away, and he was surprised to find that there was another cat in the clearing.

Had she been there the whole time? He didn't know how he could have missed her before with her snow white pelt, but she was still a kit, so maybe it was her size that caused him to skim her over.

"Blossomkit!" Littlecloud exclaimed, darting over to the smiling she-cat. "It's so good to see you again!" He touched noses with the young kit, and she purred back at him happily.

"It's good to see you too, Littlecloud," she purred, her voice just as soft and sweet as when she told him that she wanted him to be her mentor so many moons ago. "And now you're a medicine cat; that's so wonderful!" The sparkle in her eyes was so cute, and it reminded him that he would never be able to have kits like her anymore, but maybe if he got to visit Blossomkit every halfmoon he could deal with that.

"Thanks," he purred, giving her star-lite ears a quick lick. "Is it nice here, in Starclan? Are there other kits for you to play with?"

Blossomkit nodded, her eyes brimming happily. "I usually play with Boulderkit, but sometimes these two other kits join us, but I don't know their names."

"Well, what do they look like?" Maybe they were Amberleaf's kits; he knew what they looked like, and he knew what she wanted to name them. Maybe he could help."

"A tortoiseshell and white she-cat and a gray and white tom," she answered, blinking up at him.

Littlecloud didn't know any kits who looked like that, so he simply shrugged. Blossomkit looked disappointed, but she didn't stay down for long.

"That's okay!" she grinned. "I'll just ask them later." She looked so bright and lively, and it brightened Littlecloud's spirit to see her again.

"Blossomkit!" a she-cat called from farther off in the distance. "It's time for him to go; come along now." Littlecloud couldn't tell who it was from this far away, but Blossomkit seemed to recognize the gray and white she-cat even from this far away from her.

"Bye, Littlecloud!" she squeaked, darting over to the gray she-cat and prancing away, her tail held erect proudly. Littlecloud watched her go as the dream faded away, the smile she had given him still etched on his face.

…

He was the last one to wake up back in the cave with the other medicine cats. He sat up quickly when he realized that the other four cats were waiting for him.

"S-Sorry," he stammered, licking his chest fur self-consciously and trying to shake of his embarrassment. Why was everyone looking at him? Had he done something wrong during the ceremony?

"What are you sorry for?" Mudfur asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion. "You've sure got yourself a nervous apprentice, Runningnose."

Littlecloud stood up and shook himself off angrily. Why did he always freak out whenever anyone looked at him? I made him look like a complete mouse-brain. "I'm fine," he mewed shortly, licking down his ruffled fur. The other medicine cats were laughing at him, but Cinderpelt just smiled sympathetically.

"Don't worry about them," she told him once they were out of Mothermouth and on their way home. "They can't remember how nervous they were their first time coming to the moonstone anymore, so they can't even fathom that some cat wouldn't be entirely comfortable with it their first time." She nudged him playfully, and Littlecloud smiled. "Besides," she continued, looking up at the stars. "I was terrified my first time too, so there's nothing to be ashamed of."

Littlecloud blinked at her in shock. "You? You were scared your first time too?" he asked her with wide eyes. He didn't think that Cinderpelt was afraid of anything, least of all a simple medicine cat ceremony that he thought only nervous wrecks like him were scared of.

She nodded. "I was insanely nervous, but everything turned out all right in the end. The Starclan cats I met were both really nice, and they both helped give me confidence that I never had before."

Littlecloud listened to her intently then told her about his meeting with Blossomkit. He told her that she had been the kit he had wanted to mentor and that she had died because of Brokenstar's carelessness.

"That's one of the reasons I thought to come to Thunderclan when Shadowclan was ill," he told her softly, remembering his thoughts at that moment exactly. "Thunderclan drove out Brokenstar, ending his terrible rule, and I will never forget that."

Cinderpelt smiled. "I'm glad you chose to come to Thunderclan," she purred. "You and Whitethroat gave me back my confidence, and I'll never forget that either."

The two cats grinned at each other, lost in memories, and together they made their way back to the clans.

…


	20. Chapter 18

The next few moons went by very smoothly for Shadowclan. Tigerstar did as he promised by making the clan strong and respected again, and it wasn't long until he had gained every cat's respect in the clan.

Sure, he was gone a lot without giving the clan much reason as to why, but Blackfoot took over while he was missing, and the large white tom seemed to have gained some sense while he was a rouge, so he was actually a fairly decent leader while Tigerstar was away.

Their leader had been disappearing every night lately. He heard Rowanpaw and Jaggedtooth gossiping about a she-cat that they had met on an assessment a few days ago, and soon the entire clan was convinced that that was where the leader had been every night.

"It won't be long until we know for sure," Tallpoppy was telling the other she-cats pleasantly near the empty nursery. "If I know Tigerstar, there will be kits in here before Greenleaf." The other she-cats giggled happily, thinking of their strong, blunt leader as a father.

Littlecloud couldn't share in their gossip, he had too much work to do getting the Shadowclan stores filled before the frost hit, and every other moment was spent thinking about his third moonstone visit only a few nights ago.

Cinderpelt had seemed so miserable on the journey, only stopping to pass on the news that Firestar was Thunderclan's new leader after Bluestar's death. She didn't giggle at his lame attempts at jokes, she didn't try to poke fun at the older medicine cats, and she didn't even smile at him once during the journey.

At first, Littlecloud had just decided that she was still grieving for Bluestar, but it was Firestar's name that caused a look of sadness to cross over her face, even though it was obvious that she was trying desperately to hide it. He had pressed his flank to hers to try to comfort her, but he didn't ask what was upsetting her. Perhaps he should have; it was all he could think about now.

Tigerstar didn't come back that night; the whole clan was worried, but Blackfoot didn't send anyone out looking for him. "If he's not back by morning I'll send someone out, but he's probably just out hunting late, and I don't want to be the target of his anger when he comes back at moonrise wondering why half of his clan is out looking for him. The cat likes his privacy, nothing we can do about that."

He waved off any further protests with a flick of his tail and disappeared into the warriors den, not the least bit concerned with their leader's absence.

"He's probably just off with that she-cat again," Tallpoppy said humorously to any cat that was near her. "Blackfoot's right, he'll be back in the morning."

Tallpoppy's gentle teasing seemed to calm the clan, and soon everyone had followed Blackfoot's lead and had gone to sleep in their respective dens.

…

Tigerstar returned the next morning at dawn just like everyone had predicted, but he was limping pretty badly which put the whole clan on edge. What had happened to him?

The large tom shouldered his way through the other cats and disappeared into his den without a word to anyone. Blackfoot and Runningnose followed him in, but Littlecloud was too stunned to do much of anything. Their leader was brutally injured and he didn't even try to tell the clan what happened to him? He could feel the tension and disbelief from everyone as they stared at the den, waiting for someone to come out.

Blackfoot emerged first, and he leapt up onto the Clanrock to address the clan. He didn't need to call the clan together since everyone was already there, but he used the ceremonial words that began clan meetings despite that.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the Clanrock for a clan meeting!" he yowled, causing the clearing to fall silent. "Tigerstar fought against two foxes yesterday with a rouge named Sasha, which is how he received his injuries." The clan let out gasps of shock at the news, but they fell silent again when Blackfoot flicked his tail. "None of his injuries are fatal, but Runningnose is going to care for him today just to be safe. No one is to disturb them."

He jumped down from the Clanrock and padded away without another word, and the clan was left wondering what to do next. Eventually the cats separated from the one large clump in the clearing. Some went out for border patrol, some went hunting, and some, namely Littlecloud, went out to collect herbs before the frost set in.

He had to work all day to get all of the necessary herbs gathered while Runningnose organized them, and he had to do the same thing the following day in order to get it all done. For this reason, he wasn't in the camp when Tigerstar brought Sasha to the clan, but the queens were discussing every detail, and it didn't sound like he had missed much.

She was sleeping in the warriors den that night, so he could always meet her in the morning, or, at least, that was what he assumed, but she went out on dawn patrol with Tigerstar, Oakfur, and Boulder before he woke up, and she didn't come back that night.

Tigerstar, Boulder, Russetfur, Jaggedtooth, and Blackfoot went off somewhere around sunset, and after that Sasha was never heard from again. No one really knew what happened to her, and no one discussed it, especially not in front of Tigerstar. Everyone just pretended like it never happened.

…

Things started changing in the Shadowclan camp after Sasha left. Tigerstar went off to Riverclan multiple times to talk to Leopardstar about something that no one besides his most trusted warriors was in on. Tigerstar was starting to resemble Brokenstar with the inner circle of warriors and his lack of interest in the rest of the clan, but no one else seemed to care about it, but they were starting to worry about his expeditions to Riverclan.

What was he doing over there, and why wasn't he telling the rest of his clan? No one dared to ask the large tabby tom, but they ended up not having to because only a few day after Tigerstar's visits began, he announce his reasons the whole clan at sunhigh. They were going to unite with Riverclan.

At first there was only stunned silence; no one said a word, and it didn't even feel like anyone was breathing. Littlecloud glanced around at his clanmates, but no one had any idea what to make of Tigerstar's newest decision.

Finally, after what seemed like seasons of silence, Mousewing spoke. "Why have you decided to do this without consulting us? Do we not have a right to what happens to our clan," he demanded, his eyes blazing with defiance.

Tigerstar didn't offer any kind of acknowledgment to his clanmates this time; he simply blinked at him without showing any sign of acceptance of disapproval. Instead he raised his head high and continued as if no one had challenged him. "Uniting with Riverclan will make us the strongest clan in the forest, and think of all we could accomplish if the clans worked as one instead of four rivals constantly injuring and even killing each other!"

He sure had the clan's attention, but no cat was sure what to make of his argument. It seemed like a good idea the way he presented it, but by uniting with Riverclan they were throwing away tears of tradition and hard work their warrior ancestors put into making each clan unique and strong. Did Tigerstar really want to throw all of that away?

"United we will be known as Tigerclan, and with Thunderclan and Windclan we will rule this forest with peace and prosperity."

Littlecloud assumed that Tigerstar wanted his cats to yowl agreement then because his eyes narrowed at their silence, but none of the Shadowclan cats wanted to be the first one to agree to his plan or to shout it down, so the entire clearing was silent.

"Are you with me?" Tigerstar yowled, deciding that a direct question was going to be the only way to get cats to answer him.

The murmuring started out soft, but it grew louder and louder as more cats realized that they weren't alone in wanting to accept Tigerstar's plan until the whole clearing was buzzing with calls of agreement and calls of praise.

Darkstripe, one of Thunderclan's warriors who had supposedly left because it was weak and led by Firestar, a former kittypet, now, called his agreement out the loudest. His loyalty to Tigerstar was unwavering, but none of the other cats in the clan really liked him all that much. They tolerated him, but that was it.

Littlecloud watched it all from outside the medicine cat's den, but he refused to give his opinion one way or another. This was Tigerstar's decision, and he wouldn't be able to stop it even if he tried; Tigerstar would never listen to him.

He couldn't tell whether it would be a good thing or a bad thing yet, so he decided to just let things come as they may until everything turned out good or bad. He was content to wait for this to hit its climax, and boy did it hit it.

…


	21. Chapter 19

Just over one moon later, everything had changed.

Thunderclan and Windclan had both rejected Tigerstar's offer to join Tigerclan, and after Tigerstar attacked Windclan to convince them that they needed to join his clan, the two other clans united to form Lionclan in order to fight back against Tigerstar.

Littlecloud had been staying at the Shadowclan camp even though most of the cats were in Riverclan so he could treat the warriors that remained to guard the camp, but his services weren't of much use since there had been no fighting between the two clans.

Tigerstar decided that the two would fight to decide who's way of running the forest was better for the clans, Firestar's or Tigerstar's, in a few days, so both sides had been preparing for that battle instead of fighting beforehand, but now the time had come, and it wasn't looking good.

"Bloodclan, attack!" Tigerstar commanded the cats he had recruited to his side from Two-leg place. Littlecloud tensed from his position behind the rest of the clan, but not one of the Bloodclan cats moved a muscle. The large tabby tom's eyes burned with fury. "Attack," he yowled. "I order you!" He looked ready to burst with rage, but still only one cat moved forward, the leader of Bloodclan, Scourge.

Tigerstar had told the clan that they would need the help of Bloodclan in order to convince Firestar to join them, but his eyes had glittered when he said it, so Littlecloud wasn't sure if it was true. It sure didn't seem that way now, with all of the arrogance and ambition in his eyes that had reminded Littlecloud of Brokenstar when he first announced that he intended to be leader of Shadowclan so long ago. But, there was no going back now. Tigerstar was their leader and all of the Shadowclan cats were ready to defend him with their lives, not that they thought he needed it.

The small black tom stepped forward slowly and calmly as he turned his attention to Firestar who had been confronting Tigerstar only moments before. "I am Scourge, the leader of Bloodclan," he said smoothly, his voice cold and quiet. "Tigerstar, my warriors are not yours to command. They will attack when _I_ tell them, and not before." His ice-blue eyes were like daggers, slicing into Tigerstar's amber ones, but the look the Shadowclan leader gave him was just, if not more, vicious.

Firestar took that moment to pad forward, ignoring a soft hiss of, "Firestar, be careful," from Graystripe. He threw a rage-filled glare at Tigerstar, trying to express all his hatred for him in one look then turned back to the leader of the Bloodclan cats and dipped his head politely.

"Greetings, Scourge. I am Firestar, leader of Thunderclan. I wish I could say you are welcome in the forest. But you would not believe me if I did, and I have no wish to lie to you. Unlike your supposed ally here, I am a cat of honor," he meowed curtly, flicking his tail towards Tigerstar in a sharp, quick motion that tried to demonstrate all of his hatred for the large tabby tom who had once been his deputy. "If you've believed any promises he made to you, you're mistaken."

Even after all this time, no one knew why the two hated each other so viciously. Tigerstar had told his clan that it was because Firestar convinced Bluestar to drive him out of the clan because he was "too ambitious for his own good" when in reality they were just envious of his strength. He thought that Firestar was trying to get every cat on his side with kind words and false promises, but he had never proved his claims.

Scourge's eyes narrowed slightly, but his cocky demeanor didn't change. "Tigerstar told me he had enemies in the forest," the small black tom meowed coldly. "Why should I believe you instead of him?"

Firestar blinked at him, a certain determination coming over his features. He looked confident and strong even though his eyes betrayed fear. He took a deep breath and began.

"Cats of all clans!" he yowled, addressing every cat in the clearing, "and especially cats of Bloodclan, you have no need to believe or disbelieve me. Tigerstar's crimes speak for themselves."

Littlecloud held his breath. This was the moment he, and probably most of the other cats in the clearing, had been waiting for ever since Fireheart was announced as the new deputy of Thunderclan so many moons ago, Thunderclan's side of the story. He waited, his heart pounding, for Firestar to continue. What horrors was he about to reveal about Tigerstar's past?

"When he was still a warrior of Thunderclan, he murdered our deputy, Redtail, hoping to be made deputy himself. First Lionheart was chosen as deputy, but when that noble warrior died in a fight with Shadowclan, Tigerstar achieved his ambition at last."

A grim silence covered the entire clearing, no cat daring to make a sound. The warrior who killed Lionheart must have been Tangleburr, but the thought didn't really make Littlecloud feel anything, guilty or accepting, he was too focused on what Firestar was saying to worry about anything else.

Tigerstar's expression hadn't hardened from his position next to the Bloodclan leader; in fact, he looked almost pleased that Firestar was accusing him of murder. "Mew away, little kittypet. It won't change anything," he told Firestar, without interest.

He wasn't going to deny it? Littlecloud blinked at his leader in shock. Did that mean that he was guilty, or that he thought his warriors were to loyal to doubt him based on the word of one cat, but that obviously wasn't true based on the looks many of the Shadowclan cats were giving each other.

Firestar ignored him. "Being deputy wasn't enough," he continued, his voice rising with fury. "Tigerstar wanted to be leader of the clan. He set a trap for Bluestar by the Thunderpath, but my own apprentice strayed into it instead." Littlecloud tensed, sure where this was going, but too scared to face it. "That's how Cinderpelt came by her crippled leg."

Littlecloud stumbled backwards, unaware of any of the cats around him, and collapsed into the dirt, as shocked murmurs moved around the surrounding cats in waves. Tigerstar, Littlecloud's leader, had caused Cinderpelt's injury, had nearly killed her? If it weren't for Yellowfang's skills, she would be dead now, and Shadowclan would be dead as well because she wouldn't have been there to save them from the terrible disease. He would never have met her, and his life would still be empty and meaningless, and it would have been all Tigerstar's fault.

He stood up and weaved his way back to his position beside Runningnose, but his mentor hadn't even noticed his absence because of his shock and grief that was nothing compared to Littlecloud's, but strong just the same. The small tabby tom looked across the clearing to where Cinderpelt was sitting, expecting to see a she-cat who was lost in terrible memories, but she looked just as shocked as the rest of them. Had Firestar never told her what had happened?

He sat in silence, but willed Firestar to go on. What he had said already was enough to turn most cats away from Tigerstar, but Littlecloud wanted the entire forest to turn against him for what he had done to Cinderpelt. He wanted Firestar to destroy the large, dark tabby tom who Littlecloud had considered his leader up until now. He didn't want there to be anything left of Tigerstar when he was done.

"Then Tigerstar conspired with Brokentail, the former leader of Shadowclan, who was Thunderclan's prisoner," Firestar told the listening cats. "He brought a pack of rouges into Thunderclan camp, and tried to murder Bluestar with his own claws. I stopped him, and when Thunderclan had beaten off the attack, we drove him into exile. As a rouge, he slaughtered yet another of our warriors, Runningwind. Then, before we knew what he was up to, he had made himself leader of Shadowclan."

Firestar paused, waiting for the news to sink in, looking terrified and determined all at the same time. Littlecloud had to admire his courage; he could never reveal this in front of everyone. He would die of a heart attack before he even stepped forward.

"But Tigerstar still wanted revenge on Thunderclan," he continued, jolting Littlecloud out of his thoughts. He didn't think there was going to be any more. What had Tigerstar been doing while he was away from camp? Not all of his disappearances could have involved Sasha, since the clan hadn't discovered her until long after Tigerstar became leader, and Tigerstar's excursions had started the moment he gained control. Littlecloud hadn't really thought about it until now, but he could have been doing anything.

"Three moons ago, a pack of dogs got loose in the forest. Tigerstar caught prey for them, then laid a trail of dead rabbits between the dogs' lair and the Thunderclan camp to lead them to us. He murdered one of our queens, Brindleface, and left her near the camp to give the dogs a taste for cat blood. If we hadn't found out in time to escape, the whole of Thunderclan would have been torn to pieces."

"Good riddance," Tigerstar snarled, not looking the least bit ashamed of what he had done.

"As it was," Firestar continued, not even looking over at the large tom, "our leader, Bluestar, died the bravest death of any cat, saving me and her all her clan from the pack."

His speech finished, he glanced around at all of the cats in the clearing, but especially the cats of Tigerclan. It was obvious that he was hoping that they would all abandon their leader instantly, but no one moved. They were all still struck silent with shock, but Littlecloud was sure that some cats were going to refuse to fight for him when he ordered it.

Even if no one else did, he would help Thunderclan even if it meant his death. He refused to help the cat who had crushed all of Cinderpelt's dreams of being a warrior and had tried to kill her along with the rest of her clan on multiple accounts. He wouldn't do it. He wouldn't heal Tigerstar's injuries so he could crush more lives, and he wouldn't heal any cat who was still willing to follow him after what he had done.

"This is Tigerstar's history," Fireheart went on after confirming that no one was going to move a muscle until someone ordered an attack. "It all shows one thing-that he'll do anything for power. If he promised you a share of the forest, don't believe him. He won't give up one pawprint, not to you or any cat."

Scourge's eyes narrowed as he thought about what Fireheart had said. "Tigerstar told me what he was planning to do with the dogs when he visited me two moons ago." He shifted his cold gaze over to Tigerstar. "He did not tell me that his plan failed."

"None of that matters now," Tigerstar broke in with a sharp hiss. "We have an agreement with you, Scourge. Fight beside me now, and you'll have all I offered you."

"My clan and I fight when I choose," Scourge told Tigerstar pointedly, turning to face Firestar without waiting to see the Shadowclan leader's reaction. "I will think about what you have said. There will be no battle today."

"Traitor!"

Tigerstar's furious hiss rang out around the clearing, and he launched himself at Scourge, prepared to rip out the small tom's throat in his rage, but the Bloodclan leader dodged his attack easily, leaping nimbly to the side. Scourge whipped around as Tigerstar landed and raked his claws that Tigerstar had said were reinforced with dogs' teeth across the large tabby's shoulder, unbalancing him. For a split second, Tigerstar's eyes shown with fear as his belly was exposed, and Scourge raked his vicious claws through his skin from his throat to his tail with a single slash.

A scream of fury and pain erupted out of Tigerstar's mouth, and the clans watched in horror as Tigerstar died, over and over and over again.

…


	22. Chapter 20

Littlecloud watched in terror and shock as Tigerstar convulsed again and again, blood seeping out of his giant wound, dying the ground a deep red. It took so long for all nine of his lives to fade away, and Littlecloud found himself just wanting it to be over. He hated Tigerstar for what he had done for Cinderpelt, but he couldn't wish that kind of death on him. No one, not even the most evil cat in the forest, deserved that.

Many of the cats around him let out cries of terror and anguish as they fled from the clearing, but Littlecloud was rooted to the spot. He couldn't stop watching the terror that was unfolding in front of him, and a few of his clanmates couldn't either. They all sat watching as Tigerstar's lives faded away, one by one.

Finally, after what seemed like seasons of watching, the huge tom fell silent. Firestar was staring at his lifeless body in horror and shock, and Littlecloud that even he didn't want Tigerstar to die like he just had. He glanced over at Scourge, shaking despite his efforts to remain calm.

The rest of the Bloodclan moved forward as if they were about to attack, but the rest of Tigerclan didn't follow them. Firestar glanced back at his warriors, making sure they were ready for the inevitable battle, and they all stood at the ready alongside the Windclan warriors.

_He's insane!_ Littlecloud thought wildly. _There's no way they can take on Bloodclan by themselves!_ Despite the hopelessness of the situation, Littlecloud braced himself to rush to their side. If Bloodclan was going to fight Thunderclan and Windclan, then he would stand by Cinderpelt and save as many of them as he could. But, he didn't have to.

Scourge raised one blood-soaked paw, and his warriors halted behind him. "You see what happens to cats who defy Bloodclan," he warned calmly. "Your friend here," he continued, giving a casual flick with his tail to Tigerstar's body, "thought he could control us. He was wrong."

"We don't want to control you," Firestar insisted, trying to make peace with the Bloodclan leader. "All we want is to lead out lives in peace. We're sorry that Tigerstar brought you here with lies. Please feel free to hunt before you go home."

Littlecloud held his breath; was the Bloodclan leader going to leave now, or would he stay to claim what Tigerstar had promised him?

"Go home?" Scourge meowed scornfully.

Littlecloud's hear sank.

"We're not going anywhere, forest fool," he growled. "In the town where we come from there are many, many cats, and live prey is scarce. Here in the forest we won't have to rely on Two-leg rubbish for our food." He shifted his gaze to the warriors of Lionclan, all poised and ready to attack. "We are taking over this territory now," he went on. "I shall rule this forest as well as the town. But I understand that you may need some time to reflect on this. You have three days to leave-or meet my clan in battle. I shall wait for your decision at dawn on the fourth day."

Littlecloud watched as the Bloodclan warriors fell behind their leader as soon as he turned to leave, and they disappeared into the bushes in moments, leaving only Tigerstar's body to show that they were ever there in the first place.

…

Littlecloud followed the warriors who had remained in the clearing after Tigerstar's death towards their camp, his mind still reeling from what he had witnessed.

Rowanberry and Nutwhisker looked just as stunned as he did, and only Blackfoot seemed to have any drive left in him, but it vanished out of his eyes when they reached the Shadowclan camp.

The Bloodclan cats had surrounded their camp and cats were fleeing for their lives at the sight of so many enemy cats. Littlecloud's eyes widened in terror, but he forced himself to dive into the mass of cats that were in their camp. They couldn't beat Bloodclan, but at least he could save some of the medicine cat supplies before the clan was forced out of their home. He left the bundle that he had been carrying outside of the camp boundaries, and dived in.

He had to dodge thorn sharp claws that seemed to come from every direction at once, but he somehow managed to get to the medicine cat's den without getting any deep scratches. "Runningnose!" he called as he entered, searching the den for his mentor. He found the gray and white tom crouched at the back of the den, a large, black and white tom looming over him like a badger. Littlecloud's mentor was bleeding badly, trying to fight off the huge tom, but he couldn't fight with all of his injuries. Littlecloud let out a furious shriek and launched himself onto the cat.

The tom let out a cry in shock as Littlecloud landed on top of him and dug his claws into his skin. He whipped around to face his new attacker as Littlecloud jumped down, but when he caught sight of how small the tom was, he gave a snort of amusement.

"What are you, a kit?" the large tom chuckled mockingly.

Littlecloud's eyes narrowed. "I'll show you a kit!" he hissed, launching himself back at the tom with speed and power that he never knew he possessed. He clawed at the black and white tom's eyes, realizing very quickly that the cat's size made it hard for him to maneuver properly in the den, plus, he was much too slow to do any damage to the young, speedy cat that he was facing.

"Stop. Moving!" he hissed in frustration, trying to grab Littlecloud with his jaws, but he dodged out of the way before the tom even came close to reaching him.

His blows weren't as strong as any of the other cats in Shadowclan, but he was hitting the tom with so many so fast that it wasn't long until he had fled out of the medicine cat's den, already calling for reinforcements.

Littlecloud immediately headed towards the back of the den where Runningnose was rapidly scratching on the wall, trying to create a hole to escape. Littlecloud ran up to him and nudged him with his shoulder. "The front entrance is open," he mewed franticly. "We have to leave that way, now!"

Runningnose shook his head, shaking off his apprentice and continuing to try to get out the back of the den.

"Don't let them out," growled a familiar deep voice that had been screeching in terror only moments before. "I'll rip that kit to shreds."

Littlecloud swallowed hard, but he was prepared to fight the black and white tom again. He braced himself for another attack, but at that moment Runningnose broke through the back wall of the den and shoved himself through the small hole, causing it to triple in size.

"Come on," he ordered. "We have to go."

Littlecloud glanced over his shoulder at the black and white tom who was approaching with two other cats, and he instantly followed his mentor through the hole in the back of the den.

Both of them ran as fast as they could through the marsh, ignoring the hate-filled calls that rang out behind them.

"Where are we going?" Littlecloud asked, panting, as they ran away from the camp.

"Riverclan," Runningnose answered, wheezing. "That has to be where Blackfoot is ordering us to. Some of our warriors are already there, so it must be where we are going."

"Shouldn't we help our clanmates escape?"

Runningnose sighed. "The best way we can help our clanmates is by surviving to heal them once they escape. We can't help anyone by getting killed."

They stopped when they reached the Riverclan camp, and they weren't the only ones to arrive there from the camp. Newtspeck was there along with Tallpoppy, Oakfur, and Nightwing and some of the other cats who had come straight to the Riverclan camp after Tigerstar's death. The rest of the clan was there moments later with Blackfoot in the lead. His fur was coated in blood, but Littlecloud could tell by the smell that most of it wasn't his.

Runningnose and Littlecloud healed all of the cats who had comeback with Mudfur's help and herbs, and all of them ended up pulling through. However, Mousewing and Nutwhisker didn't make it out of the camp, and Jaggedtooth had chosen to join Bloodclan. Littlecloud hadn't particularly liked Jaggedtooth when he first came to Shadowclan, but he never expected him to betray the clan that welcomed him in.

"When I get my claws in that traitor, I swear, he is going to wish he had never heard of Shadowclan," Blackfoot growled furiously, flexing his claws. "I told Tigerstar we-." He broke off, his eyes flickering slightly, reliving the leader's death in his head all over again.

"Is there anything we can do to help them?" Littlecloud asked Runningnose, unable to bear the pain of his clanmates' memories all replaying at once.

But Runningnose just shook his head regretfully. "There are no herbs to take away bad memories; everyone is just going to have to learn to live with them, as cruel as that must sound."

Littlecloud dipped his head. His mentor was right; there was nothing they could do, but that thought didn't take away the tightening of his stomach or the whimpers of fear that surrounded him.

…


	23. Chapter 21

Two days later, after Leopardstar had already sent Heavystep and Loudbelly past Highstones to try to find new territory for the two clans, Firestar visited the camp. He brought a few of his warriors with him, but it didn't look like he had any intention of fighting them. Instead, he looked fairly peaceful.

Littlecloud watched as the cats crossed the clearing from his position next to Runningnose, but no one made a move to stop them. In fact, not even half the cats even bothered to glance up at the new cats. They were all still so devastated by Tigerstar's death and the reveal of everything that he had done in his past. Only Leopardstar stood.

"Firestar," she greeted wearily, her voice cracking from the effort. "What do you want?"

It still shocked Littlecloud how completely crushed Leopardstar was after Tigerstar's death. Her normally sharp, confident voice sounded deflated now, and she hadn't said anything since Tigerstar's death. At least, not until now.

"To talk to you," Firestar replied. "Leopardstar, what's going on here? What's the matter with you all? Why aren't you in your old camp?"

Leopardstar blinked at him, barely registering what he said. "I am the sole leader of Tigerclan now," she answered at last, a spark of pride returning to her voice. "The old Riverclan camp is too small to hold both clans. We let the queens and kits and the elders stay there with some warriors to guard them." She broke off, laughing, but there was no humor in her voice. "But what's the point? Bloodclan will slaughter us all."

"You mustn't think like that," Firestar told her gently. "If we all stand together, we can drive out Bloodclan."

The Riverclan leader's eyes flash with rage and hysteria. "You mouse-brained fool!" she spat. "Drive out Bloodclan? How do you think you're going to do that? Tigerstar was the greatest warrior this forest has ever seen, and you saw what Scourge did to him."

For a moment, Leopardstar's eyes flashed with grief, but she returned to her hopeless stare so quickly that Littlecloud wasn't sure that he had really seen it.

"I know," Firestar meowed softly, suppressing a shiver. "But Tigerstar faced Scourge alone. We can join together as one to fight to fight him so that afterward we can be four clans again, according to the warrior code."

Littlecloud turned away from their conversation, and padded out of the clearing without any cat noticing him; he needed some time alone.

Leopardstar had to choose to fight alongside Thunderclan and Windclan against Scourge and Bloodclan, there was no other option, but what would happen once it was all over?

He could tell by the determined but apprehensive look on Firestar's face that he knew what the cost of the battle would be. Even if the clans won, the cost would still be great. Who would not come out of the battle alive this time? Rowanberry, Nightwing, Oakfur, maybe even Blackfoot, but it was Cinderpelt's beautiful face that crushed him the most. What would he do if she never came back from this battle? Would his life hold any meaning anymore? He didn't think it would.

Between Gatherings and visits to the moonstone every halfmoon, it seemed like he would see Cinderpelt quite often, but it never felt like enough. What would he do without those times together? What would he do if he never got to see her smiling face again?

He shook his head franticly, trying to get the thought out of his head; he had to think about something else.

"Littlecloud!"

Runningnose's call jolted him out of his thoughts, and he found himself incredibly grateful to his mentor for saving him from his own thoughts. "I'm over here!" he yowled back, his eyes flickering around the forest willing his mentor to emerge from one of the breaks between the trees.

Runningnose was moving slowly when he appeared between the trees, but soon he was seated beside his apprentice, staring up at the sky with a mixture of fear and acceptance on his face.

"They're going to fight," he meowed calmly, not moving his gaze away from the sun that had nearly fallen below the horizon.

Littlecloud dipped his head. "I knew they would," he replied softly. "What other options do we have? Even if we found a new home we would have to leave our elders and kits behind to be slaughtered, and that cannot be an option." His voice had grown stronger and more determined as he spoke, but it died out at the end.

He thought of Newtspeck, who was too old and frail to make a journey to anywhere beyond Highstones, and he knew he would never leave his mother behind. He was the only kit she had left, and he would never leave her to die at the hands of this pathetic excuse for a clan.

Runningnose nodded at him. "We will meet with the other medicine cats before the battle and exchange herbs that aren't native to our territory, and we will do everything we can to save our clanmates." The gray and white tom's eyes darkened, and he knew that his mentor was well aware of the price that would be paid whether they won or lost.

Littlecloud nodded solemnly, watching the sun as it faded away to nothingness. Was that how the clans were going to disappear? Slowly, one by one, would they all fall to Bloodclan until there was nothing left of them?

Littlecloud hoped with all his heart that this would never be the case.

…

The blood in Littlecloud's ears was pounding as he waited in a grim silence for either Firestar or Scourge to give the order to attack. He was standing beside Runningnose on one edge of the clearing at Fourtrees with Cinderpelt and one of the Thunderclan apprentices, Fernpaw, directly across from him, and Mudfur and Barkface with their warrior apprentices who were assigned to help them, Dawnpaw and Rabbitpaw, in between him and Cinderpelt on both sides.

They had spread out around the clearing earlier, promising the other medicine cats that they would help cats from any clan, not just their own. They had all been extremely tense before the battle, even Cinderpelt, whose easy confidence was usually there to give them all hope. Littlecloud had wanted to comfort her, to tell her that it was all going to be alright in the end, but he couldn't promise that, no one could.

He had to force his thoughts away from the Thunderclan medicine cat because at that moment, Scourge began the battle with a sharp yowl to his warriors. Firestar's call followed only seconds after, and soon the clearing was alive with wrestling, snarling cats.

He could barely keep up with all of the cats who were fighting in the clearing, but he caught glimpses of Blackfoot taking on two Bloodclan cats at once and Boulder and Russetfur fighting side by side amongst the writhing cats. At one point he even caught a glimpse of Tawnypaw, Tigerstar's daughter, fighting beside her brother and some of the other apprentices, and he couldn't help but smile at the passion in her eyes.

Most of the clan was still wary of her, especially Russetfur, because she had come from Thunderclan, but Littlecloud had high hopes for her, and he hoped that with time the rest of the clan would come to respect her, despite her birth clan. She fought twice as hard as any warrior to try to prove herself to her new clan, and she would make a great warrior one day once she gained their trust.

Littlecloud shifted his eyes away from the young apprentice, keeping his eyes peeled for any cat in trouble, but he had to force himself to not only focus on Shadowclan warriors, since he had grown so used to only caring for them in a battle. Every cat was fighting hard, but the Bloodclan cats were vicious, and it wasn't long until some of the clan cats fled out of the clearing in search of a medicine cat who could heal them quickly and send them straight back into battle.

Runningnose ended up caring for any cat who needed a quick fix before rushing back into battle while Littlecloud cared for the more serious injuries off to the side of the clearing. The cats he was caring for weren't worried about going back into battle; they were worried about living to see the next one.

He gathered as many cobwebs as he could to seal up Tallpoppy's various wounds got while Runningnose sealed Blackfoot's shoulder wound, sending him back into battle as soon as he was done. Littlecloud was exhausted, but he couldn't leave his patients for an instant. Tallpoppy had deep scratches all along her legs and shoulders that were bleeding badly, Webfoot's throat was ripped open, but it wasn't deep enough to kill him instantly, and Blackclaw's shoulder had popped out of place when he was flung against the Great Rock, so he was in a lot of pain too.

Littlecloud felt very overwhelmed by the amount of injuries he had to treat, but his troubles had to pale in comparison with some of the warriors' fears. They were risking their lives to protect the forest, but Littlecloud was risking his life too, and he was going to save the warriors who had fallen. They were going to win!

He broke off from his thoughts of victory when he saw Onewhisker crawling across the clearing, trying to avoid the Bloodclan cats while also attempting to cross the clearing to Barkface. It took Littlecloud only a second to realize that he was closer.

Without a second thought, he dived into the fray.

…


	24. Chapter 22

Littlecloud dodged around the cats that were battling all around him, just barely avoiding a slash that could have torn out his eye, until he reached Onewhisker. He slid under the tom, immediately grateful that he was from Windclan who were known for their small size, and helped him limp over to Runningnose, who had seen what was happening and prepared an herb mixture to stop the bleeding.

Onewhisker cringed when the chewed up batch of herbs was applied to his wound, but he didn't complain. After he and Runningnose had patched him up as best they could, Littlecloud led him over to the other injured warriors and sat him down next to Webfoot who looked shocked to see his clanmate so injured even though he was still bleeding himself.

It was difficult to keep the four cats awake, but none of them were ready to join Starclan just yet, and they were all young and strong enough to pull through. Littlecloud kept his eyes flickering between his patients, Runningnose, and the battle the entire time, trying to be ready for anything, but before he knew it, the battle was over.

It started with one cat's call of, "Scourge! Scourge is dead!" but soon it was echoing around the clearing from every Bloodclan cat. The Two-leg place cats faltered, their reason for fighting gone, and the ones who could still walk fled out of the clearing with their tails between their legs. They had lost all of their viciousness and drive in one instant, and now they were nothing more than a bunch of rouges who weren't willing or confident enough to fight for themselves even if they had to.

Littlecloud watched as Windclan chased the remaining Bloodclan warriors away, biting and snapping at them as they ran to show them that they should never come back. Onewhisker was eyeing them enviously, but he knew all too well that he was in no condition to chase the enemy warriors away.

The moments after the battle went by much slower than Littlecloud thought it would. The battle had been so hectic and wild that it had gone by in an instant, but now that things had settled down time seemed to drag by slower than ever. Littlecloud didn't want the time to go by slowly now; all they had left was grieving.

Rowanberry had died in the battle, and Darkflower had badly twisted her paw and would never walk the same again. Littlecloud expected her to look crushed, but her eyes were glistening with determination and pride, and she looked far from broken.

Littlecloud helped her walk back to the camp, and she told him about how she had sent five Bloodclan cats fleeing before she twisted her paw, but the most impressive part was that she still managed to fight off the Bloodclan she-cat who had caused her paw to twist awkwardly. She said she hardly felt the pain until the she-cat had fled, but she still didn't look defeated even after she brought up that she would have to move to the elders den soon. In fact, she almost looked pleased about getting to settle down and keep Newtspeck company all day.

Her enthusiasm made Littlecloud smile, but his happiness vanished when he saw Blackfoot carrying Rowanberry back to camp with his eyes dull and sad and hers sightless and empty. Darkflower noticed his smile falter, but she didn't turn around; she knew what she would find there. Instead, she pressed closer to Littlecloud to try to comfort him, and together they headed back to their camp.

…

No one in the clan slept that night.

Most of the clan wanted to sit vigil for Rowanberry, and those who hadn't been close to the she-cat stayed up to hear about Littlecloud's progress on Tallpoppy and Dawncloud, who had been in Mudfur's care until the clans separated. Blackfoot and Runningnose had gone to the moonstone right after the new leader had appointed Russetfur as deputy; she seemed shocked when he chose her and a bit overwhelmed now that she was in charge.

Littlecloud was up all night caring for Tallpoppy and Dawncloud, and by morning they were both well on their way to a full recovery. Runningnose and the newly named Blackstar returned to the camp at dawn, and Littlecloud could finally get some sleep.

He woke up hours later after a yowl from their new leader, but Blackstar only called the clan together to announce that Darkflower was moving to the elders den, to give Rowanpaw Boulder as a new mentor after Jaggedtooth's betrayal, and to formally welcome Tawnypaw to the clan and to give her Oakfur as a mentor. Littlecloud went back to sleep the moment the meeting was over; he felt like he could sleep for days.

…

About a moon later, after everything had calmed down from the battle with Bloodclan, Littlecloud was woken by a desperate cry from outside the medicine cat's den. The tabby tom sat up, blinking wearily at the entrance to the den, and he could just make out Runningnose talking to Blackstar.

"What happened to him?" Runningnose's voice was laced with terror as he stared out into the clearing where the howling was coming from.

"I'm not sure," Blackstar replied, his eyes clouding with uncertainty for the first time since he became leader. "A burrow collapsed on him, but I don't see any injuries on him."

Littlecloud padded forward slowly, craning over Runningnose and Blackstar's shoulders so he could see into the clearing. The clan was gathered around Wildfur who was lying in the center of the clearing with his legs dragging out behind him and his face twisted with fear instead of agony, like Littlecloud expected.

"Well, bring him in, and we'll see what we can do," Runningnose ordered the leader, tuning with a flick of his tail and diving into his stores.

Boulder and Blackstar carried the ginger and white tom into the den, both of them cringing at his cries and moans, but they tried to ignore it. Tallpoppy was hovering outside of the den, immensely concerned about her littermate, especially since Blossomkit and Whitethroat, her other two siblings had already gone to join Starclan. Blackstar and Boulder slipped out past her, but she didn't bother to move out of their way. She didn't seem to see anything besides Wildfur, and nothing was going to pull her away from him.

Littlecloud realized quickly that he needed to block her terrified blue eyes out of his thoughts if he was going to be able to concentrate on Wildfur. He needed to concentrate more than ever now because Runningnose seemed at a loss for what they should do and was just staring at the injured tom with a blank look on his face.

The young tabby tom looked over at his mentor, begging for guidance, but the gray and white tom seemed even more lost than he was. "Runningnose?" Littlecloud prompted. "Shouldn't we try something?" He blinked at his mentor, willing the confusion to leave his eyes and be replaced with focus, but it didn't happen. He would have to do this alone.

"Where does it hurt the most?" Littlecloud asked Wildfur, drawing the ginger and white tom's terrified gaze away from Runningnose.

Wildfur blinked at him. "It doesn't."

"What do you mean, it doesn't hurt? Then what's wrong?" Littlecloud was growing more lost by the second, but he wasn't about to give in.

"I-," Wildfur broke off, shaking with fear. "I can't feel my hind legs." His eyes widened in desperation. "You can fix it, can't you?"

Littlecloud was shaking as well now, and he was sure Wildfur could scent his fear. He had never faced something like this before, and as far as he knew, none of the other clans had either, but he didn't know for sure.

"I'll ask the other medicine cats tomorrow, maybe they'll know what to do," he answered finally. "Until then you just have to keep up your strength, alright?" He had no idea if anything he was saying would really work, but he kept his voice steady and confident, and Wildfur seemed to have calmed down a little.

The ginger and white tom nodded absentmindedly, but he did look a little more hopeful. Maybe in a few days everything would be fine, or maybe it wouldn't.

…

The other medicine cats couldn't offer any useful advice since they had never seen a case like the one Littlecloud described to them, but they offered their condolences and their hopes for Wildfur's heath, which at least brightened Littlecloud's spirits a little. But the meeting didn't give Littlecloud what he needed the most, answers.

What could he do to help Wildfur? Was there even a way to get his hind legs to work again? How would he break the new to him that he could never be a warrior?

Cinderpelt's face flashed through his head. All of her hopes and dreams of becoming a warrior had been destroyed in a single instant, and he hated that it was happening to Wildfur now. There had to be something he could do, but there wasn't.

Wildfur kept catching the same disease over and over again. It would make it hard for him to breathe properly, and it would cause him immeasurable anguish every night. Runningnose and Littlecloud tried to treat him, but every time they got the disease to go away it would reappear in a couple of days.

It got harder and harder for the ginger and white tom to breathe every time the disease came back, until one day he couldn't manage it anymore, and he died.

The clan sat vigil for him that night, and, despite Runningnose's insistence that he had to keep his strength up, Littlecloud joined them. No one knew if Wildfur had fought against it to the end or if he just couldn't take the pain anymore, but no one really cared. He had been a brave warrior to fight against it for so long, and no one was cocky enough to judge him if he did give up.

Runningnose announced that he would be moving to the elders den the day after Wildfur died. He said he couldn't think clearly enough anymore to treat his patients and that Littlecloud was more than ready to take his place, but Littlecloud wasn't as sure.

He had only been a full medicine cat for a few moons because Runningnose had waited until after the battle with Bloodclan to perform the ceremony, and he didn't feel ready to take care of the whole clan by himself.

Runningnose brushed up beside him. "I'll still be here," he told his former apprentice reassuringly after the ceremony. "You can still come to me if you need help. I'm not going anywhere."

Littlecloud was still nervous, but most of it had been replaced with pride and excitement. He would be the best medicine cat that Shadowclan had ever seen, and he wouldn't be alone. Runningnose was still going to be there if he needed him, and Cinderpelt would always be there to offer advice as well if he needed it.

Littlecloud smiled; he was ready to be Shadowclan's only medicine cat.

…


	25. Chapter 23

It didn't take Littlecloud long to settle into his position as Shadowclan's only medicine cat, and Runningnose stayed true to his promise to help out if Littlecloud needed it, but things were very quiet for a few seasons. The only things that happened were happening in other clans, so Littlecloud only really heard about them at the halfmoon meetings and Gatherings.

Firestar had gone on a journey shortly after Wildfur's death, and although he had returned a few moons ago, no one really had any idea where he had gone, not even members of his own clan. Cinderpelt knew, but she refused to tell any of the other medicine cats because it was Firestar's business and he would be back soon. The other medicine cats soon realized that they weren't going to get anything else out of her and stopped pestering, but Littlecloud could tell that they still wondered about it, even now.

The other three clans had also had trouble with rouges that seemed to be from Bloodclan after Firestar's return, but they hadn't bothered Shadowclan since they were farthest from Two-leg place. Blackstar had ordered a few extra patrols around the other clans' borders just to be sure that they didn't go looking in Shadowclan territory for more prey, but other than that the rouges hadn't affected Shadowclan in any way.

Within the clan, Newtspeck had died a few moons ago, much to Littlecloud's distress, but there had been nothing he could do to save her, and she had gone to Starclan feeling no pain. Nightwhisper, one of the rouges that Tigerstar had welcomed into the clan when he had first become leader, had died while driving out a fox from their territory shortly after him and Nightwing's kits had been born. Smokekit and Talonkit were apprentices now, and two more litters of kits had been welcomed into the clan.

Tallpoppy had given birth to three kits about a few nights ago: Marshkit, Toadkit, and Applekit, and Fernshade had had her second litter of kits shortly after Tallpoppy did. She had named her kits Ratkit, Snowkit, and Smokekit; the third was named after Smokepaw because the young apprentice had saved him from an eagle when he wandered out of camp for the first time. The two queens spent all their time together, letting the kits have fun, but the queens didn't share many interests, so it was only the kits who got to have fun.

Rowanpaw, Cedarpaw, and Tawnypaw had all received their warrior names: Rowanclaw, Cedarheart, and Tawnypelt, and Rowanclaw had already received Talonpaw as his first apprentice. The ginger tom was already gloating to Tawnypelt about how he was going to be deputy now, but she seemed to have other things on her mind.

She hadn't been herself for the past few days, and she hadn't even looked excited when Blackstar told her that she was going to the gathering that morning. Typically, she really enjoyed gatherings because she could see her brother, Brambleclaw, but she just didn't seem aware of her surroundings anymore, and Littlecloud had no idea where it might have come from.

Rowanclaw had mentioned that she had been tossing and turning in her sleep a few nights ago, but she could have easily only had a bad dream, not anything that would occupy her thoughts every minute of every day. Littlecloud had no idea what could be bothering her that much.

…

On the way to the gathering, Littlecloud couldn't help glancing over at Tawnypelt a few times as they walked. Her eyes were forward and her posture gave away nothing, but Littlecloud could still see thoughts racing behind her eyes.

He forced his attention forward as the clan reached Fourtrees. Riverclan and Windclan had already arrived, and Thunderclan entered only moments after they did. Littlecloud had already taken his position beside the Great Rock when Cinderpelt came up to talk to him. Her blue eyes glittered pleasantly as she greeted him by touching her nose to his.

The familiar burst of warmth that Littlecloud felt every time they touched weaved its way through him again, warming him from ears to tail tip, but he had long since learned how to hide the emotions from her.

"Good evening, Cinderpelt," he greeted pleasantly. "I hope the prey is running well in Thunderclan."

Cinderpelt smiled. "It is, thank you. How are things in Shadowclan?"

Littlecloud couldn't help but let his gaze flick over to Tawnypelt, who was wandering around the clearing looking for someone. Cinderpelt followed his gaze before he realized that he had done anything before turning her attention back to him, her deep blue eyes filled with confusion.

"Is there something wrong with Tawnypelt?" she asked, blinking curiously at him.

He would have told her his concerns anyway, but he had hoped that they could at least start off will a more pleasant subject, an easier one, but that couldn't be helped now. "She's just seemed different lately," he sighed. "She's always thinking about something, but I have no idea what it could be. It seems to upset her, but as far as I know she hasn't mentioned it to anyone."

Littlecloud averted his eyes, and Cinderpelt pressed closer to him, blinking understandingly. "Brambleclaw's seemed a bit different lately too, now that I think about it." She looked up at the stars, all of Silverpelt reflected in her eyes. "I wonder if this has anything to do with the bad feeling I've had recently," she mumbled to herself absentmindedly.

"What bad feeling?"

Cinderpelt jumped, glancing down at Littlecloud; she apparently hadn't realized she had spoken aloud. "It's nothing," she replied like it didn't matter, trying to laugh it off, but she stopped when she realized that Littlecloud wasn't going to be fooled that easily. He knew her better than that. "Really," she insisted. "I just sometimes get this feeling that something's coming, but I'm probably just worrying about nothing."

Littlecloud looked at her skeptically. He didn't buy it; she was definitely worried about the bad feeling she was having, but she wasn't willing to admit that to him or even to herself.

She sighed. "You don't believe me."

Littlecloud smiled. "Not in the slightest." He bumped her shoulder affectionately, trying to brighten her mood. "I'll let you know if I see anything suspicious in Shadowclan, okay?"

She nodded. "Thanks, Littlecloud."

Her pelt was so warm, and Littlecloud ended up only focusing on that for the entire Gathering.

…

Nearly a moon later, the night before the halfmoon gathering of the medicine cats, there was panic in the camp.

Littlecloud peeked his head out of his den to find Blackstar yowling for silence and the clan obeying him after a few moments.

"When was the last time anyone saw her?" he asked loudly, but only silence followed his question.

Littlecloud tilted his head in confusion. What was going on? Who was missing? Why did he always wake up after everything had already happened? He shook the last thought away and focused on the clearing.

"I…well…" Cedarheart began slowly before breaking off, but the damage was done; everyone was looking at him. "I saw Tawnypelt leaving camp this morning, and she looked a little on edge, but I just assumed she was going hunting." He ducked his head in embarrassment, but the attention didn't stay on him for long.

"She probably just went crawling back to Thunderclan," Russetfur growled, resentment prickling her spine. "I knew she would eventually."

Cedarheart stood up. "Hey, I never said that she went to Thunderclan!" he protested. "I just said she left camp, that's it. She could be anywhere." His eyes blazed defensively; he had always been a bit defensive of Tawnypelt, who he had been an apprentice with only a few seasons ago.

Russetfur snorted. "Where else would she have gone?" she asked scornfully, not bothering to pause for an answer. "She's always had a paw in Thunderclan; it just makes sense that she would go there now."

Cedarheart's fur bristled angrily. "I'm telling you-,"

"Enough!" Blackstar's furious hiss rang out from the Clanrock, and the two warriors fell silent. "We will send out patrols today and tomorrow to try to find her, but if we don't find her within that time we can only assume that she has left for Thunderclan. Is that suitable for everyone?" he added angrily, glaring at Russetfur and Cedarheart who bowed their heads in embarrassment together. His eyes narrowed. "Good."

"Boulder, Russetfur, and Oakfur: Each of you will take another warrior with you and scout around the territory tonight. Tomorrow the same patrols will go out and search again at sunhigh and moonrise. If we don't find Tawnypelt after tomorrow, we will have to assume she went to Thunderclan, alright?"

The warriors nodded their consent, and the three warriors that Blackstar had named each grabbed another warrior and disappeared out of the camp entrance. They searched all night and all day the next morning, but it was no use; no one found her.

Tawnypelt was gone.

…


End file.
